Yaroslav Filimonov, head of Ukrainian anti-drone system manufacturer Kvertus, said that most electronic warfare systems clog communication channels with «white noise» and make it impossible to transmit signals between the drone and the operator. Instead, Smart-electronic warfare systems interfere with drone control at the data exchange protocol level.
Yaroslav Filimonov, head of Ukrainian anti-drone system manufacturer Kvertus, said that most electronic warfare systems clog communication channels with «white noise» and make it impossible to transmit signals between the drone and the operator. Instead, Smart-electronic warfare systems interfere with drone control at the data exchange protocol level.
Filimonov reported this in an interview with ArmyInform.
«At the beginning of large-scale deployment, all analog electronic warfare was white noise. There were 7 Ukrainian manufacturers then. Now there are 177 of them. And 99% of these manufacturers use this same white noise, which, in fact, clogs communication channels and makes it impossible to transmit a signal between the drone and the operator. That is, we take this for standard electronic warfare,» explained the CEO of Kvertus.
According to him, a year ago, a meeting of EW/RER manufacturers was held with representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at which plans for 2024 were discussed. In particular, the task was set to make Smart-EW.
«We realized that without specific, even in some ways unique developments, we will not defeat drones, because they are constantly becoming more powerful, starting to fly further, carrying larger and heavier shells, so we need to think about what and how to do to create an obstacle,» said Yaroslav Filimonov.
He noted that Kvertus studied LoRa radio protocols — an entire channel through which the drone and pilot communicate, not a single frequency.
«Our RER „Azimuth“ sees the LoRa protocol, which is generally a rather complex thing, which is quite difficult to hack and adapt to. Our „Azimuth“ sees the LoRa protocol in real time. It has a zoom function, that is, a magnifying glass. There is such a „waterfall“ there, as if the frequencies are running, we increase, scale this „waterfall“ and see in which mode the drone is operating,» says Filimonov.
According to him, jamming drones with «white noise» is like working with the consequences.
«For example, when a person gets sick and has a runny nose, they put drops in their nose to prevent swelling, but they don’t treat the disease. Working with the LoRa protocol is like treating a disease. We started studying what we could do, how to hack into this protocol and disrupt this communication channel between the drone and the pilot,» explained the head of Kvertus.
According to him, global EW manufacturers still use «white noise» and 20-30 W modules, and have little understanding of the realities of modern warfare, antenna power, repeaters, and the fact that a drone can hang in the air and transmit a signal, etc.
Yaroslav Filimonov noted that the Smart-EW Mirage should work perfectly with Azimuth. One such device can work and detect a drone within a 25 km radius, correspondingly, 5 Mirage devices can work.
«Azimuth detects anything moving at frequencies from 30 to 6000 MHz and accordingly transmits a signal to Mirage that a drone is flying, transmits at what frequencies, and then it generates at these frequencies at the protocol level,» he explained.
According to Filimonov, the Mirage can be controlled remotely, «which no one else has.»
«We test it like this: a team goes to the front line, sets everything up, gives us a signal that it is possible to launch the drone, and our technicians sit in Kyiv and turn it on. This is very important. We made such a decision that in order to turn on the analog jammer, we need to approach it. But the Mirage can be integrated into the combat control system,» says the CEO of Kvertus.
He added that the company is creating its own server so that, regardless of government programs, it can provide solutions at the brigade level or at the operational-tactical group level and integrate them into the system.
It was previously reported that Kvertus is developing electronic warfare that will operate below noise levels and will be able to land so-called AI drones starting in early 2024. The technology for suppressing such drones has already been tested in conditions close to combat, and the company has invested more than $500,000 in its development.
Last fall, Kvertus announced the AD BERSERK remotely controlled ground platform, which creates a dome of protection against enemy drones.
