In the spring of 2022, in response to Ukraine gaining access to Starlink, Russia announced its intention to upgrade the Gonets satellite communications system. But in 2025, the enemy still does not use this system against us in war, explains military analyst and communications expert Sergey "Flash".
In the spring of 2022, in response to Ukraine gaining access to Starlink, Russia announced its intention to upgrade the Gonets satellite communications system. But in 2025, the enemy still does not use this system against us in war, explains military analyst and communications expert Sergey "Flash".
Currently, Gonets has about 20 low-orbit satellites that provide coverage of most of the Earth and orbit the planet at an altitude of 1,400 km.
Sergey "Flash" named several possible reasons why the Russians do not use the "Messenger" in war.
The first is the low transfer speed. The maximum channel speed is 19.2 kbit/s. This is only enough for messaging or emailing without large attachments.
Then the question may arise, why not use the system to transmit data from UAVs? As the expert explains, this is not possible because the system operates at low frequencies of 312-390 MHz and requires a large antenna with circular polarization.
“The basic antenna measures 20 cm by 10 cm. The modem itself measures 12 by 7 cm with an output power of 10 W, which requires a powerful power source,” adds Serhiy “Flash.”
In the summer of 2024, Russia announced that it had for the first time implemented the technology of controlling UAVs via satellite. This was an experiment in which, among other things, the Gonets system participated.
It is not known whether this technology has gone beyond the limits of experimentation. But yesterday, a representative of the Gonets system announced the appearance of a new small modem that can be installed on UAVs.
"Not a word about the antenna. We'll see what comes of it," noted Serhiy "Flash."
