Ukraine finds Russia’s Geran drones fitted with a compass that works through GPS jamming, but Western electronics still at their core
Ukraine is also studying a new jamming device, and the findings go into its sanctions work.
Ukrainian officials have discovered that Russia has begun equipping its Geran attack drones with magnetometers, which remain functional even when GPS signals are jammed. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's commissioner for sanctions policy, revealed this information on Facebook on October 28th. Russia utilizes its Shahed-Geran series drones extensively in daily assaults on Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces counteract the drones by jamming their satellite navigation systems, forcing them off course. In response, Russia is enhancing the drones with features like adaptive antennas and magnetometers. The magnetometer, designed to provide a heading independent of satellites, aims to further protect the drones against jamming efforts.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian military intelligence disclosed the presence of a US-made magnetometer in the upgraded Geran-4 drone. Vlasiuk shared photos from a facility where Ukraine examines Russian weapons and their components, emphasizing that the findings are useful for Ukraine's sanctions efforts. He did not specify which Geran models feature the magnetometer.
Additionally, Ukraine is investigating a new jamming device discovered in the drones. Vlasiuk noted that Western electronics remain at the core of these drones. The Geran-4 has already been deployed with a US-made sensor. On October 5th, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported that the upgraded Geran-4 includes a new "MOKh" unit built around a PNI5GA magnetometer from US firm PNI Sensor.
This unit works with the SADRA inertial navigation module to minimize gyroscope drift and enhance the drone's autonomous navigation precision. Russia has also integrated an electro-optical navigation system called Susanin into the upgraded Geran-4. This system compares camera images with a stored reference image to maintain the drone's trajectory towards the target.
A similar system is incorporated into the new K5 version of the Geran-5 drone. Presidential adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov cautioned on October 28th that if Russia begins deploying Susanin en masse on Geran-5s and other drones and missiles at night, Ukraine might need to revert to turning off lights, particularly on roads.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
