Russia Is Developing A New Soldier-Worn Counter-Drone Jammer

Forbes

6 days ago

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The current phase of the Russia-Ukraine war has been marked by the growing dominance of drones on the battlefield. Earlier in the war, drone strikes were primarily aimed at armored vehicles and other equipment. However, they are now increasingly being used to target individual soldiers. Both sides are rapidly developing new counter-drone solutions that can protect their soldiers, with Ukraine recently introducing counter-drone rifle rounds. Russia is similarly developing counter-drone solutions that can be deployed at the individual soldier level. A recent Russian video posted to social media demonstrates a new soldier-worn electronic warfare system that jams the video feed from small drones.
The New Russian Counter-Drone System
The video shows a Russian soldier demonstrating the compact drone detection and jamming system. The system includes a head-mounted module with two antennas, a switching harness, an arm-mounted display, and a battery pack. The head-mounted module is attached to the back of the helmet with two antennas protruding from the top. The system detects the drone through its radio signature and then appears to intercept the drone's video feed, which is displayed on the arm-mounted screen. The soldier can then choose to jam the feed, which he does in the demonstration.
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This design is unique because most counter-drone systems do not target the video transmissions. Conventional jammers usually focus on control and navigation links, which are easier to disrupt. Radio signals weaken as they travel, so the strength at the receiver is only a fraction of the original transmission. This makes it relatively straightforward to jam a control channel by broadcasting a stronger signal near the receiving end. In contrast, the video feed is transmitted from the drone at high power to ensure that the signal is strong enough to reach the operator, making it far more difficult to overpower with conventional jamming techniques.
Russia's approach suggests a focus on precision and efficiency rather than brute-force interference. Instead of flooding multiple frequencies with broadband noise, which requires considerable power and risks interfering with friendly communications, the system uses a more targeted method. Drawing on Russia's long-standing expertise in electronic warfare, it detects the drone passively by sensing its radio emissions, identifies the exact frequency of the video link, and then applies a focused jamming signal. This reduces the power consumption and the size of the system. It also minimizes the system's electromagnetic signature, making it harder for the Ukrainians to detect and target. This design choice is likely influenced by the fact that newer Ukrainian drones incorporate failsafe modes that activate when control or navigation signals are jammed. By blinding the operator through video disruption while leaving control links intact, the system avoids triggering these failsafe modes and creates confusion for the operator.
Regardless, this approach has significant limitations. In particular, it does protect Russian soldiers from the increasingly common fiber-optic drones which transmit their video feeds via a tether. Additionally, the system will require frequent updates as Ukrainian drones move to more secure video channels and implement failsafe modes for when the video feed is jammed.
Implications Of This New Counter-Drone Jammer On the Broader War
Both Russia and Ukraine are racing to counter the growing drone threat, as drones have become responsible for the bulk of the casualties and destruction on the battlefield. This trend is accelerating as the war becomes increasingly dismounted, with units fighting in dense urban environments. In this setting, drones have become fully integrated into offensive and defensive tactics, with both sides using them to locate and target enemy troops.
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This reliance on drones has created a stalemate along the front. Any assaulting force is quickly detected and struck by enemy drones, preventing large-scale offensive operations. Therefore, whichever side can better shield its soldiers from drone attacks will gain a clear advantage in cities such as Chasiv Yar and in towns near Kupyansk, Kharkiv City, and Sumy City. If this Russian technology proves effective and can neutralize Ukrainian drones, even for a short period, it could enable substantial gains in these areas, with major implications across the entire front.
More broadly, as drone technology has shifted from large strategic platforms to small, agile FPV drones, counter-drone systems are having to evolved as well. Older vehicle-mounted systems were built to defend large areas against long-range strikes. Now, both sides are developing and fielding compact systems designed to protect individual soldiers. If Russia succeeds in deploying this new soldier-worn counter-drone jammer, it could secure a critical edge on the battlefield.