“This is not Starlink”: 6-kilogram satellite terminal Russia claims Ukraine is using for deep strikes — what is it?
“I do not confirm or deny this information from Russians,” a Ukrainian presidential adviser says of reports on a new satellite terminal for deep strikes.
Russian channels are claiming that Ukraine is utilizing a new kind of satellite terminal for deep strikes. Military communications expert and presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, known as Flash, neither confirms nor denies the report, but he notes that the technology is far from unique and too slow for real-time operations. Ukraine is actively seeking alternative satellite links beyond Elon Musk’s Starlink, which it does not control and whose slowdown affected front-line operations last month.
Russia frequently highlights Ukrainian capabilities as evidence of its understanding of the situation. Flash’s remark contradicts these reports, as the terminal Russia mentions is less extensive than the network Ukraine currently uses. The terminal in question is a 6-kilogram device called SmartLite Sirius, produced by the company HiSky.
Unlike Starlink, it can work with both low-orbit and geostationary satellites and features a flat antenna that forms beams to track a satellite as it moves, similar to Kymeta’s approach. Although it is compact, measuring around 60 by 30 centimeters and weighing 6 kilograms, it can maintain a connection while in motion. However, Flash emphasizes that this terminal is not equivalent to Starlink.
The speed potential reaches a maximum of 2 Mbit/s, and signal latency is excessively high when working through geostationary satellites, making it unsuitable for online operations.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
