Russia installed Starlink on Shahed-136.
Ukrainian defense forces destroyed a Russian Shahed-136 equipped with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications system in a nighttime attack on September 25 that shot down 28 of 32 drones.
Defense Express obtained the relevant photos from its own sources. They show a satellite antenna with serial numbers still attached. This should allow us to investigate the supply chain of the Starlink terminal.
This is the first time an enemy has used Shahed from Starlink, but it is unlikely to be the last, the portal writes.
By equipping the “shaheeds” with satellite communications, Russia receives a wide and powerful feedback channel with the drone, the ability to transmit information from it and can change the flight mission at any distance.
At the same time, the question of when Russia would start installing Starlink on its long-range UAVs was objectively only a matter of time. Because before that, the enemy had already experimented with 4G modems with Ukrainian SIM cards.
And now we are talking about a very wide and powerful feedback channel with the drone, the ability to transmit information from it and change the flight mission at any distance. That is, turning Shahed, first of all, into a reconnaissance vehicle, writes Defense Express.
The enemy may need Starlink to transmit intelligence information, for example, collected by radio-technical means on Ukrainian air defense positions. Or, if the drone is equipped with cameras, an image. And thanks to Starlink, Russia can use Shahed as an extremely long-range patrol munition with the ability to perform additional reconnaissance, due to an additional camera, and to hit even moving targets.
The choice of the Shahed platform for such purposes may be related to its capabilities regarding the flight range of about 2000 km and a fairly significant free volume inside the fuselage. It may also be related to the “creativity” in Alabuga, where these drones are assembled.
Let us recall that although Starlink does not work and is not sold in Russia, Russians buy it through third countries. At the same time, the US is trying to combat this problem, but the problem is far from being solved.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.