Vehicles in Russia are being fitted with DIY drone-jammers

The addition of DIY drone-jammer onto their vehicles by the Russians has been observed. In response, the Ukrainians have resorted to countering this by utilizing drones to blow up these jammers.

The fear of Ukrainian drones among Russian marines is justified. All Russian troops are making every effort to intercept, disable and repel these small drones that are loaded with explosives.

Although improvisation can be effective, it is not always successful. It has been observed that Russian troops are attaching RP-377 radio-jammers, which are intended to disrupt the signals that activate radio-triggered improvised explosive devices, to their tanks and combat vehicles in an attempt to interfere with the signals that operate fast first-person-view drones.

The inefficiency of RP-377 against FPV drones is becoming more evident. Social media is flooded with darkly-ironic videos that show Ukrainian drones destroying Russian vehicles equipped with homemade drone-jammers.

Thematically, the videos bear resemblance to those portraying Ukrainian forces demolishing Russian GPS-jammers using GPS-guided bombs, as you might have anticipated.

The Russians’ drone predicament is exemplified by an awkward T-80BVM tank from either the 155th Brigade or 40th Brigade of the Russian naval infantry, which features homemade cage armor that may impede the turret’s movement but could provide some defense against detonating drones.

The tank’s rearmost cage armor is adorned with the peculiar RP-377 radio-jammer. Developed by the Kremlin, this portable jammer serves the purpose of disrupting enemy communications and safeguarding infantry and vehicles against improvised explosive devices.

Russia’s irregular warfare campaigns, notably in Syria, are greatly plagued by the issue of IEDs. Conversely, in Ukraine, where the primary combatants are regular forces, the prevalence of these explosive devices is relatively diminished.

The presence of RP-377s on the hulls of Russian vehicles on the Ukraine front line is becoming increasingly common. It is unlikely that these jammers are intended to counter IEDs. It seems that the Russians are relying on the RP-377s to neutralize drones.

Principle dictates that both a remote IED and a drone are equally susceptible to radio-jamming. In 2020, after conducting tests, the Russian troops stationed in the Eastern Military District asserted that their RP-377s effectively aided in suppressing unmanned aerial vehicles.

Indeed, numerous drones feature frequency-hopping controls or autopilots that effectively counteract the impact of radio-jamming. Consequently, there have been numerous instances of successful drone strikes on vehicles equipped with additional RP-377s.

It is worth noting that a Ukrainian FPV drone collided with a Russian BMP fighting vehicle equipped with an RP-377 a few weeks ago, which is quite ironic.