Electronic Warfare Will Play Large Role In The Battle For Kherson

Aerospace & Defense Electronic Warfare Will Play Large Role In The Battle For Kherson Vikram Mittal Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I’m a technologist and systems engineer. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Nov 1, 2022, 08:53am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin As the Ukrainian counter-offensive pushes eastwards, they are approaching the city of Kherson, which has been held by the Russians since March. Kherson is a critical port city on the Dnipro River with a pre-war population of 300,000 people. The city is of strategic importance, and the Russian military plans to defend their hold on it.

The ensuing battle for Kherson will have many of the complexities of modern urban warfare, with both sides leveraging technology to get an edge on the battlefield. In particular, electronic warfare (EW) systems will play a significant role in the outcome of this battle. An aerial view shows the city of Kherson on May 20, 2022, amid the ongoing Russian military action .

. . [+] in Ukraine.

– Authorities in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian region of Kherson announced on May 23 the introduction of the ruble as an official currency alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia. The region’s capital Kherson was the first major city to fall to Russian forces after the start of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine on February 24. (Photo by Andrey BORODULIN / AFP) (Photo by ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images The city sits on the Western bank of the Dnipro River, which is spanned by the Antonivka Bridge in the northeast portion of the city.

The Russian strategy for holding the city is a straightforward “defense in depth. ” Having evacuated a large portion of the civilian population from the city, the Russians have reportedly set up multiple fortified positions throughout the city with defensive lines on both banks of the Dnipro River. The Russians have positioned their artillery to the east of the Dnipro River and will fire at the Ukrainian forces as they move into Kherson.

Although the Ukrainians could potentially bypass the city, they will likely fight to take back control of Kherson due to the strategic importance of the Antonivka Bridge. To take Kherson, the Ukrainian military would need to rapidly move into the city, secure the Antonivka Bridge, and trap the Russian forces against the Dnipro River. This maneuver would be supported with artillery and drones, which would be used for targeting Russian artillery to the east of the Dnipro River.

Unfortunately, this battle will probably draw out for significant time – urban warfare is complex and slow moving, often favoring the defenders. TOPSHOT – A view of the destroyed Fabrika shopping mall in the city of Kherson on July 20, 2022, . .

. [+] amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images Two key components of successful urban operations are disrupting enemy operations while locating troop concentrations for targeting.

When a military unit is successfully able to disrupt and locate enemy forces, they can overcome other disadvantages. For example, 10,000 ISIS insurgents were able to hold Mosul for nine months against 100,000 Iraqi soldiers by using the local population to disrupt and locate Iraqi troops. With Kherson evacuated, Ukrainian and Russian forces cannot rely on the local population; rather, they will likely rely on EW systems.

MORE FOR YOU Why The Rock’s Social Media Muscle Made Him Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Actor Way Unveils $100M Valuation Upon Close Of $20M Series A Led By Tiger Global Elon Musk Triggers Massive Crypto Price Earthquake—Sending The ‘Joke’ Bitcoin Rival Dogecoin Soaring Above Ethereum Challengers Solana And Cardano EW systems use the electromagnetic spectrum to perform a desired effect, which can include disrupting and locating an enemy. While the exact systems used by both sides are not known, Oryxspioenkop. com has included several open-source images of Russian EW systems damaged by the Ukrainians.

These systems include the Leer-2 and Borisoglebsk-2 systems, both of which can emit jamming signals and locate radio transmitters. The Russian military used similar EW systems during their first incursion in Ukraine in 2014. It is safe to assume that the Ukrainian military has procured similar capabilities.

While EW systems have been used throughout the war, their role will be amplified by the urban environment. Multifunctional complex of radio reconnaissance and electronic suppression getty The core function of many EW systems is to provide a multi-spectral jamming capability that diminishes the enemy’s ability to communicate. In modern warfare, communication is key for military units to synchronize and coordinate attacks on enemy positions.

Further, communication allows forward deployed units to call in air strikes and request medical evacuation and resupply. Communication becomes more important in urban settings, where battle lines are ill-defined. As units navigate through urban blocks, they can easily get lost and become isolated in areas controlled by the enemy.

Additionally, the likelihood for friendly fire increases. Jamming will also factor into the use of drones , which both sides will want to leverage in the battle. The Russians and Ukrainians will use their surveillance drones to scour the battlefield for enemy positions.

They will also use the mid-sized drones, such as the Bayraktar TB-2 and the Mohajer-6, for destroying enemy targets. Additionally, loitering munitions have become commonplace on the battlefield, with the Ukrainians using Switchblade drones and the Russians using Shahed-136 drones. Electromagnetic jamming will keep the drones from receiving command and navigation signals from their operators, reducing their ability to properly function.

Many EW systems also map out the radio frequency spectrum, showing the location of radio transmitters on the battlefield. Urban environments offer an unlimited number of places for soldiers to conceal themselves; however, while physically hidden, a soldier’s radio signature is still visible to these systems. Further, if an army knows the frequencies being used by an adversary, they would be able to identify command nodes and troop concentrations.

The Russians successful used this technology in Crimea in 2014, where they tracked Ukrainian cell phones to find battle positions. Radio frequency localization can also be used for locating drones, which are transmitting signals back to their operators. Indeed, some of the Russian EW systems reported on Oryxspioenkop.

com use this capability to detect incoming drones, which are then jammed or shot down. While this war has seen plenty of fighting in cities, most of these engagements involved disparate defense groups fighting Russian military units. Kherson will be different, where the Ukrainian army will face the Russian army in an urban environment.

Both sides will bring their full suite of technologies, including EW systems, to the fight, hoping to gain the edge in what will likely be a gruesome battle. Follow me on LinkedIn . Vikram Mittal Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.