Ukraine is seeking to expand the use of Starlink satellite communications to guide long-range drones to mobile ballistic missiles directly on Russian territory. According to sources in The Atlantic, former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov had prior agreements with Elon Musk.
Ukraine is seeking to expand the use of Starlink satellite communications to guide long-range drones to mobile ballistic missiles directly on Russian territory. According to sources in The Atlantic, former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov had prior agreements with Elon Musk.
The Atlantic reports this, citing officials familiar with the course of closed negotiations between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump at the White House.
Currently, Ukrainian long-range drones use on-board computers with artificial intelligence-based navigation tools. This technology allows them to hit large stationary objects in Russia, such as oil refineries and ammunition depots. However, to destroy small and mobile targets, such as trucks carrying ballistic missiles, more precise real-time guidance is needed, which the Starlink network can provide.
As SpaceX restricts the operation of its satellite terminal on Russian territory, Zelensky has asked Trump to influence Elon Musk. According to sources, former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov had previously had preliminary agreements with Musk regarding the possible lifting of restrictions subject to a corresponding instruction from the White House.
Ukrainian drone developers also note the advantages of this approach. Fire Point co-founder Denis Shtilerman emphasized that using Starlink on drones will allow for the elimination of threats before the missiles are launched.
«Instead of shooting down arrows, we will hit archers,» said Denis Shtilerman. According to him, unlocking the system will allow expanding the zone of destruction of enemy equipment deep into Russian territory by 500 km.
The meeting also discussed an alternative in the form of a military network called Starshield, but Ukrainian experts note that its integration into existing drone systems is much more complicated and expensive compared to the standard Starlink. Trump promised to consider this issue and discuss it with Musk, but has not yet made a final decision.
Earlier, Elon Musk stated that some of the Starlink terminals used by the Russian army, including for strikes on Ukraine, entered Russian territory through smuggling, including through Ukraine itself.
