[REGNUM] The Armed Forces of Ukraine complain about the loss of drones, which fail not on the front line, but in the near rear. Reports that the Russian military used some kind of electromagnetic weapons came simultaneously from Donbass and from the other side of the front line. Experts admit that we are talking about new types of weapons, the development of which was carried out in secret.
The Ukrainian military is complaining about the massive loss of drones that operate at a considerable distance from the line of contact. An unknown electromagnetic weapon disables drones 6-7 km from the front line, sources of the Mash Telegram channel reported.
Similar reports appeared on the other side of the front line. “I received two alarm signals at once ... about the use of weapons by the Russian Federation, which at a distance literally “burns out” electronics with a powerful impulse. Radio stations, UAVs, telephones, drone remotes. The distance from the front line was about 7 km," wrote Ukrainian military expert Serhiy Flesh on his Facebook page.
Semiconductor elements, microcircuits and other components of drones fail, the Ukrainian analyst listed. According to him, a powerful mobile-based Ranets-E microwave emitter, which was developed in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is used against Ukrainian drones.
The complex was first introduced in 2001 by the Moscow Radio Engineering Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It follows from the accompanying materials that the complex consists of an electromagnetic radiation generator, an electric generator and an antenna mounted on the MAZ-543 chassis.
When a target (missile or drone) is detected, the complex processes it with a beam with a power of up to 500 megawatts, disabling the electronics. The developers assumed that such systems, in theory, could become an alternative to air defense/missile defense missile and gun systems that physically destroy the target.
The Ranets-E project was never put into service, and then curtailed. Among the disadvantages of the complex were the high cost of operation, the need to recharge the radiation generator between "volleys," which made the complex and the objects covered by it vulnerable.
But work on the development of electromagnetic weapons has never stopped, and today the Russian troops may have complexes at their disposal that are significantly superior to Ranets-E in their characteristics, military expert Alexander Mikhailovsky believes .
"Here it is necessary to clearly define what is at stake: about the Ranets-E complex, which was brought to mind and delivered to the troops, or about weapons that operate on the same principle," said the REGNUM expert. Why is this important? Because the Ukrainians who replicate these messages are only aware of what is in open sources, and based on this limited information they draw conclusions.
Mikhailovsky is inclined to believe that we are still talking about new types of weapons, the development of which was carried out in secret. "Nothing has been reported about Ranets-E itself since the early 2000s, but new weapons have been actively developed in recent years," the expert noted.
The fact that "electronic weapons that have no analogues in the world" was tested in Russia back in 2016 was reported by RIA Novosti in a report from the ArmHytech arms exhibition. Then an informed source in the United Instrument-Making Corporation said: weapons are being developed that hit targets with the help of a directed electromagnetic pulse. It has an "indirect physical impact on the on-board equipment of aircraft, drones and neutralizes high-precision weapons," the source said.
Projects for the development of "microwave guns" were conducted non-publicly for a long time, Mikhailovsky emphasizes. "There were options for installing a microwave radiation complex on the tracked chassis of the Buk or Tor air defense systems. Such installations should move on the march with columns of troops and cover them from possible attacks from the air," the source said.
There was also evidence that the new complex is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 10 km. By the way, Ukrainians are talking about a distance of seven kilometers from the front line. If we assume that the complex itself is located at a distance of three kilometers on our side of the front, everything will just fit together.
In theory, such a weapon will be able to disable the electronics of not only a conditional rocket, but also an airplane, helicopter or drone.”
The United States and China are developing their own developments in this direction, which are developing microwave weapons to perform police or military tasks, such as dispersing a crowd during riots or defeating enemy soldiers. Those irradiated by the "microwave gun" experience panic sensations and tend to leave the affected area. The details of the development of such systems are kept secret, but the very fact of the existence of such weapons is not hidden.
The interlocutor of IA REGNUM also noted: the principle of operation of advanced weapons is that the conductive microcircuits of the irradiated object receive an energy glut, which causes a short circuit and "burnout" of individual elements. Lower power radiation can also be used to suppress radio channels. But the use of such weapons is associated with a number of problems, Mikhailovsky noted.
"Firstly, such systems can only be used in clear weather in a clear sky. There should be no rain, fog, or any other obstacles in the path of the beam. Otherwise, it dissipates," the expert explained. - Second: it is not known exactly how the microwave gun is guided. For example, air defense missiles are aimed at the thermal signature of the target, but aiming the beam is already much more difficult. And the main question is: how exactly can a generator be placed on a relatively small machine that can create a beam that can hit targets at such a distance. Let's say there is enough power for a conditional "volley", but then you need to take the car away for "reloading."
The use of such complexes can create significant problems for the actions of Ukrainian unmanned aircraft, but on the condition that the use of new weapons will be massive, Mikhailovsky emphasized.
“In order to have a significant impact on the situation as a whole, it is necessary to use not one or two complexes, but some kind of system in which individual elements cover each other ,” the specialist points out. - At the same time, even the targeted use of such systems, for example, to cover specific objects, already creates zones where enemy drones cannot operate with impunity.
In theory, the "microwave gun" can also be used against missiles of the same HIMARS. So the Ukrainians, if they don’t fantasize, are faced with a serious problem, for which I don’t sympathize with them."
There are no means of protection against the "microwave gun" now, the expert believes. “So for all their drawbacks, these weapons are extremely effective. But for a full-fledged effect, the widespread use of such weapons is necessary," the expert argues.
If there are two or three complexes at the front, the enemy will adapt to their use and find ways to get around them, Mikhailovsky explains.
However, if they really start to be used en masse, being transferred to different sectors of the front, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in theory, may be left without drones or without the ability to use them.
"This, in turn, will lead to a drop in the effectiveness of their artillery fire, the actions of infantry and armored vehicles, which will be “without eyes”. So it remains to be hoped that these are not rumors and not a one-time incident, but a full-scale fight against enemy unmanned aircraft," Mikhailovsky summed up.
March 20, 2023
Sergei Adamov.