The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has brought to light significant challenges faced by U.S. precision-guided munitions (PGMs), as they encounter the sophisticated electronic warfare (EW) capabilities of Russian forces. Pentagon officials have acknowledged that advanced U.S. weaponry, including the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), have failed to reach their intended targets due to Russian electro-magnetic warfare interference. This revelation has significant implications for the effectiveness of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and raises broader concerns about the preparedness of U.S. weapon systems against modern EW threats.
Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, highlighted the failures of a new ground-launched version of an air-to-ground weapon system, likely the GLSDB, developed for Ukraine under a rapid timeline. LaPlante’s statement during an event held by a think tank revealed, “When you send something to people in the fight of their lives that just doesn’t work, they’ll try it three times and they’ll just throw it aside,” reflecting the frustrations of Ukrainian forces with the weapon’s performance under Russian EW assault.
The GLSDB, boasting a range of 90 miles—double that of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles previously used by Ukraine—is a notable case in point. Despite its extended range and dual guidance system reliant on GPS and inertial navigation, the GLSDB has been compromised by Russian GPS spoofers. These devices emit false location data that can overpower the weak signals from genuine GPS satellites, leading to significant degradation in the weapon’s accuracy. The commander of the chief U.S. aid coordinating group stated last December that Russian electronic warfare poses a challenge to the U.S.’s ‘more precise capabilities.’
The Russian EW threat extends beyond the GLSDB. Daniel Patt, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, informed a congressional committee that the Excalibur round’s effectiveness dropped dramatically from 70 percent to 6 percent due to Russian EW countermeasures. Similarly, Russian EW has been reported to misdirect GMLRS missiles and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), which are GPS-guided as well.
The susceptibility of U.S. munitions to Russian EW tactics has not only resulted in mission failures but also bears substantial financial implications. Each GMLRS missile costs around $160,000, while an Excalibur round can reach prices as high as $100,000, and the GLDSB is priced at about $40,000. However, the weapons were largely designed for a period before spoofers were so easy to set up, Clark said. “You didn’t really see the advent of miniaturized, capable GPS spoofers until the last ten years or so, because you needed the micro-electronics to be able to do it,” Clark said.
The Pentagon’s acknowledgment of these challenges coincides with reports of Russian forces exploiting weaknesses in Ukrainian defenses on the Avdiivka front. A shortage of ammunition and the effects of EW on precision-guided weapons likely contribute to the difficulties faced by Ukrainian forces in maintaining their defensive lines.
Solutions to the EW challenge may include providing Ukraine with alternative munitions not reliant on GPS, such as the Harpoon missile, or upgrading their aerial capabilities to include platforms like the F-16, which can effectively pass navigational data to JDAMs. Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, also suggested that Ukraine could work to jam Russia’s analogous systems, such as the KAB, which use similar guidance technology and could be vulnerable to spoofing.
Ukraine is “fielding some systems now” for electronic warfare targeting of satellite navigation, Clark said. Still, since Russia is targeting civilian populations, “they may not care that much if they get spoofed.”
Relevant articles:
– Another U.S. precision-guided weapon falls prey to Russian electronic warfare, U.S. says , Defense One, 04/28/2024
– Russian forces exploit Ukrainian defense weaknesses on Avdiivka front, military official reports, Yahoo News Australia, Sun, 28 Apr 2024 11:50:00 GMT
– Why the Japan-US WMD in Space Resolution Was Critical, The Diplomat, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:20:25 GMT
– GLSDB munitions proven largely ineffective in Ukraine — Pentagon, Yahoo! Voices, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 22:27:00 GMT
– US military tests new weapon to prepare for ‘space-enabled’ attacks on the US – as Russia and China lead the star wars nuke race, Daily Mail, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:07:17 GMT