Russia Used Shaheds With Advanced Chinese Navigation in New Year’s Attack on Kyiv

Russian forces employed a new type of satellite navigation, called Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CPRA) produced in China during the latest drone attacks on Kyiv, according to Serhii Beskrestnov, call sign ‘Flash’, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a military expert in communications and electronic warfare (EW) on January 1.

“Last night, the enemy deployed Shaheds equipped with a different type of CRPA satellite navigation antennas. We’ve encountered this type before, but this time, it seems to have been used on all drones. This component is crucial as it enables the drone to strike its target despite Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) measures,” Beskrestnov stated on Facebook.

Beskrestnov noted that the Chinese antennas recovered from the wreckage are labeled for agricultural use.

“Previously, Russia utilized Iranian-made components and its own Kometa antennas for Shaheds. This time, Chinese-manufactured antennas were deployed. The label on the antennas indicates they are ‘intended for agricultural purposes.’”

However, the expert is still unsure why the Russians changed the construction of the drones.

“It is still unclear what prompted the shift—whether it was the lower cost of the Chinese alternative, a shortage of Iranian parts, or insufficient protection provided by the Russian-made Kometa. One possible explanation could be the impact of sanctions and production challenges for Kometa antennas. If that’s the case, we might also see replacements in guided bombs, where similar antennas are used,” he concluded.

Earlier, Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv, causing widespread damage and leaving two people dead and seven injured, including two pregnant women.