Russia upgrades Shahed navigation to blunt Ukrainian electronic warfare

Russia has enhanced the navigation systems of Shahed drones to withstand Ukrainian electronic warfare, according to Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a nonstaff presidential adviser on defense technology development. The expert revealed that the upgrades to the inertial navigation systems were implemented several weeks ago. It is worth noting that not all jet-powered Shahed drones targeting Kyiv rely on online control, as some utilize satellite navigation in conjunction with conventional inertial guidance systems.

Beskrestnov also hinted that the Shahed drones might be equipped with 20-element CRPA antennas starting this month. Russia's VNIIR Progress is reportedly set to commence the production of 24-element antennas in 2027. The expert emphasized that Russia is undertaking a systematic upgrade of Shahed drones across various aspects. He estimated that these modifications could also impact the utilization of Russia's Banderol and Dan-T cruise missiles, which are devoid of online control and rely on satellite and inertial navigation.

Beskrestnov posited that electronic warfare could serve as a potential countermeasure against these missiles. In June, the expert disclosed that Russian enterprises were procuring components to manufacture an additional 300–400 Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare systems, designed to interfere with Starlink satellite communications. These systems are reportedly being manufactured in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol.