Rules of drone warfare change again: «Flash» warns of new threat
Russian troops have for the first time deployed the BM-35 drone fitted with a Starlink terminal. It enables them to circumvent electronic warfare measures and strike with high precision.
Debris of a Russian drone / © Serhiy “Flash”
Russian occupiers continue to upgrade their weapons by incorporating satellite technologies. Previously, Elon Musk’s terminals were used only on «Molniya» drones, but their application has now expanded.
Military electronic warfare and communications expert Serhiy «Flash» Beskrestnov reported this on his Telegram channel.
«A big problem for us»
The expert said that on January 15, a BM-35 drone was recorded for the first time being operated through the Starlink system.
This significantly changes the effectiveness of the enemy’s weapons:
Immunity to electronic warfare. Such a drone cannot be forced to land or diverted using conventional electronic warfare tools, as its communication link runs via satellite rather than ground-based radio frequencies.
High precision. The drone remains under the full control of an operator in Russia until the strike, allowing it to manoeuvre and hit moving targets.
«This is a serious problem for us. Drones with this type of control hit their targets with high precision, ” „Flash“ said.
«Shaheds» next
The expert’s most alarming forecast concerns the further scaling of this technology. Beskrestnov believes that the appearance of Iranian-made kamikaze drones equipped with satellite communications is inevitable.
«When „Shaheds“ start flying on Starlink, it will only be a matter of time — possibly even days rather than months, ” he warned.
This would mean that traditional «spoofing» methods — which involve falsifying GPS coordinates, and are used to protect Ukrainian cities from «Shahed» drones, could become ineffective against upgraded versions.