Russia fields autonomous drone for electronic warfare against Ukrainian drones

Russian forces have begun deploying a new autonomous unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with drone jamming capabilities, sources at the front said. Developed by Scientific and Production Enterprise Geran (NVP Geran), the new drones, called “Abzats“, are also partially controlled by artificial intelligence (AI).

Drone jamming UGVs actually consist of a self-contained chassis with anti-drone jamming devices developed in Russia and attached to the back. The Abzats can reportedly move along a pre-assigned path without direct operator control and suppress “all operational frequencies used by Ukrainian UAVs.”

This news comes just a few weeks after Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down and capture a Russian ‘Tsar’ tank with drone jamming technology.

According to reports, the Abzat are capable of moving at speeds between 3 mph (5 km/h) and 15.5 mph (25 km/h), carrying a payload of up to 265 pounds (120 kg). The drone’s electronic warfare (EW) package is capable of interfering with all signals used by Ukraine within a range of 300 meters to 600 meters.

Abzat to the rescue

Samuel Bendett of the US think tank CNA told Newsweek that AI is becoming a significant asset in the ongoing war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s large-scale invasion in February 2022. Both sides in the conflict are using the AI to try to shoot down enemy drones and interrupt their missions.

“The Abzats mobile jamming platform implements artificial intelligence algorithms. This weapon system can move along a trajectory and perform electronic warfare tasks without the participation of the operator. The product is already used in a special operations zone,” commented Oleg Zhukov, chief designer of the NVP Geran development center.

He recalled that the device is equipped with a remotely operated jamming system. “The Abzats can disrupt the entire frequency spectrum in which unmanned vehicles move or fly,” Zhukov added. So it can also be operated on demand as Ukrainian drones approach.

An unnamed source told Defense Post that Abzats systems are already being used on the battlefield, but it is unclear whether these are prototypes or mass-produced units.

Land-based robotic platforms are increasingly being deployed on the battlefields of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and this trend is expected to continue. Both Ukraine and the Russian Federation are developing new versions of existing systems and completely new devices.

Defense Express recently reported on the development of a Russian off-road UGV equipped with a UR-83P mine clearance system. The UGV was reused from a previous geological and oil exploration robot.

Other counter-drone drones available

Zhukov also explained that the Russian military is employing a portable anti-drone jammer called “Gyurza”, developed in the country and powered by AI.

Gyurza

In a report published in July 2023, Bendett said that Ukraine appears to benefit more from using this AI technology overall.

“Although it is too early to predict whether such technological advantage will translate into significant gains against Russia’s entrenched positions,” Bendett said.

“So far, Ukraine has managed to maintain a human-centric approach to the use of AI, with operators making the final decisions,” he added.