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Ukraine’s Electronic Warfare Now Jams Russian Glide Bombs, Top Ukraine’s General Confirms
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian forces have found an effective counter to Russia’s long-range glide bombs, particularly the notorious UMPK kits used to convert conventional bombs into guided munitions, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Lb.ua on April 9.
“We have a sufficient number of electronic warfare systems that disrupt the guidance of enemy glide bombs,” said Syrskyi.
“It was flying in one direction, and then for some reason veered off in another. The battle between guidance systems and electronic warfare is constant—just like the contest between drones and EW.”
Syrskyi confirmed for the first time that electronic warfare (EW) systems are now Ukraine’s primary defense against Russian glide bombs, including KABs equipped with UMPK kits. These bombs rely heavily on satellite navigation, which can be jammed or spoofed to mislead them off course.
While EW doesn’t destroy the bomb itself, it renders it ineffective by preventing it from hitting its target. Russia has tried to bolster the resilience of these systems by upgrading their “Kometa-M” protected antennas, increasing from 4 to 12 receiving elements. But Syrskyi noted these improvements haven’t been enough.
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“Clearly, simply scaling up hasn’t helped the Russians maintain the effectiveness of their UMPKs,” he said.
One key advantage Ukraine holds is that these bombs are launched from high altitudes and long distances, giving EW systems ample time to interfere.
The longer a bomb loses access to accurate coordinate data, the greater the margin of error. However, Syrskyi warned that if a city is the intended target, a small deviation may not be enough to prevent damage.
The general emphasized that this is an ongoing technological arms race, and Russia will continue searching for ways to enhance the effectiveness of its long-range strike capabilities.
Earlier, in February, NATO’s Allied Command Transformation launched its 15th Innovation Challenge, seeking cutting-edge solutions to counter Russian glide bombs and other long-range aerial threats.
The competition, which concluded recently, recognized three groundbreaking technologies that could help mitigate the impact of these devastating weapons.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
