Are Electronic Warfare Systems Relevant in the Age of Rapid Drone Development?

Despite the rapid development of unmanned technologies, electronic warfare systems have not yet lost their relevance, despite the corresponding statements that have been heard more and more often recently.

Experts disprove the common myth that modern drones have completely migrated to new frequencies – 915 MHz equipment is still widely used on the battlefield. In most commercial UAVs, many operators continue to use legacy frequencies and proven equipment due to its availability and ease of use.

As for the new frequencies, it is almost impossible to determine them. As experts explain, it is possible to understand what frequency the enemy drone was operating on only if it is captured relatively intact.

In turn, numerous detectors that are currently being used to detect the frequency of FPV drone control are useless, since they only identify the frequency of the channel through which the video is transmitted.

Thus, on the advice of experts, in the event of detection of an enemy UAV by a detector, the equipment EW it is necessary to include all available frequencies. Only in this way, perhaps, it will be possible to disable a modern UAV.

In conclusion, experts emphasize that despite the emergence of drones with AI, as well as UAVs on fiber optics, radar countermeasures today remain, although not a 100%, but an effective tool for combating many drones.

Comments

[Silver99]

I watched the video of this professor of chatter, very pessimistic and everything is bad, there is no protection, everything is lost. Yes, there are no hopeless situations, I think that the Chinese are already approaching the development of all-frequency electronic warfare or at least electronic protection from this evil. As they say, whoever creates this toy will also invent the protection, and the electronic units or their components are 99,9% from China. The means of attack have always been half a step ahead of the means of protection.

[rocket757]

You can jam everything and everyone with interference, but you yourself will have to face problems with remote control of equipment, communications, etc.
A stick is always about two ends.
It turns out that in order to increase the efficiency of electronic warfare, it is necessary to look for means of protection, leveling the impact of the latter on one’s communications and remote control equipment.
I don’t know if there are ready-made solutions to this “inconvenience”.

[UserGun]

Electronic units and drones themselves were not invented in China, this is the first thing to know.

[Amateur]

Are Electronic Warfare Systems Relevant in the Age of Rapid Drone Development?

A question from the series "Is the sword still relevant after the appearance of the shield?"
And drones will be improved, and so will electronic warfare to combat them. It is an endless process, as with any other type of weapon.
In conclusion, "Food for thought"

The first combat use of electronic warfare by Russian radio operators occurred during the defense of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. In particular, on April 15 (April 2, old style) 1904, Russian radio stations began to interfere with Japanese radio operators, disrupting their telegraphy with a "big spark"

[ved_med12]

thank you, very informative about 1904
did not know about it.

[Knell wardenheart]

The problem is in the direction of trends. EW requires high available power to be effective - this is the price, this is the dimensions, this is the vulnerability and the obviousness of placement. At the same time, drones indicate the opposite trend - drones are becoming cheaper to manufacture and in materials, they are becoming more flexible and precise in use, their vulnerability to frequency knocking out is growing one way or another (due to various gadgets and solutions). Those types of compact EW on the cutting edge, which exist today, risk losing this fight. But not all EW, of course.

[Damien_C]

This conflict has changed future wars and strategies like no other in history. The challenges for attackers and defenders across so many fields is huge.
Small drones, frequencies, anti-drone-drones lazer-guns, to electronics to old shotguns.
Tank protection and cages, ERA, hard kill protection, IFVs, APCs manned or unmanned. less speed more protection?Mine advancement and mine protection.
Missile advancement and tactics, long range drones for striking and recon. Air Defense Systems and the roles of attack aircraft and helicopters.

The ideas department in every military structure in the world will be flat out for years and years to come

[log]

Drones are developing? That's great. This should give a boost to the development of our electronic warfare. Or not... Does that also depend on Chemezov?

[log]

What kind of development will occur in the event of a World War? (God forbid!)

[Knell wardenheart]

For the defense of large energy-armed facilities, electronic warfare is still relevant. Or for the organization of long-term echeloned protected zones. At the same time, progress in fiber-optic drones and various firmware, as well as frequency restructuring, satellite control, repeaters, AI, and so on and so forth - quite naturally devalue the most popular electronic warfare. The fact that it still works today does not mean that there is no tendency for it to cease to be effective tomorrow.

[rocket757]

As for new frequencies, it is almost impossible to determine them.

Come on, the scanner can be set up to search for ANY RADIO SIGNAL, another thing is that understanding/determining what information that signal contains/carries is a problem... especially since control commands are an intermittent signal, and the video broadcast is continuous...
There can be MANY different signals in a certain control zone, ours/others, blocking them all!!! is possible, with sufficient power of the electronic warfare systems, but... as always, the sword has two edges!!!
By creating a "dead zone", it is necessary to have the ability to control, transmit data, and protect your devices from the effects of your electronic warfare.
This is in theory, of course, but how it actually works... no one will tell, it’s a secret.

[barbos]

As for the new frequencies, it is almost impossible to determine them. As experts explain, it is possible to understand what frequency the enemy drone was operating on only if it is captured relatively intact.

There should definitely be experts here who are in the know and remember that communication systems with pseudo-random frequency change appeared back in the Vietnam War. The fact that we didn't have them in our troops doesn't mean they weren't available anywhere else. So here are the experts who are in the know that such solutions are also jammed. Also with the help of electronic warfare.
If you recall the films about the Great Patriotic War, they showed a plenga-type vehicle with a rotating frame antenna on the roof. That's how they calculated the location and frequency on which radio operators worked in those years. If anything, the radio operators did not tell the specialists in the direction finder vehicle in advance what frequency they would be working on.

[the same doctor]

Any weapon becomes ineffective over time, but... The very presence of electronic warfare means makes drones more expensive and more complex. That is, drones become less effective and there will be fewer of them.
Secondly, even if electronic warfare doesn’t shoot down the drone, it can detect it.
Thirdly, electronic warfare can work not only against drones.
.
Therefore, although we will shoot down drones with shotguns, we will still have to spend money on electronic warfare. Even though I wrote that anti-drone guns will be ineffective, that they are empty contraptions of opportunists, serious work on electronic warfare cannot be stopped.

[Alexander]

And why not, actually? The good old armor-versus-shell competition continues!

[Dmitry_Nemets]

Complete nonsense. We just need to work systematically, SIGINT in close connection with EW. In order to promptly identify the actual frequencies on which drones operate in a specific area. And then suppress them. Change and adjust EW frequencies in time. But this is not being done.