US-provided Hymers has become less accurate due to Russian jamming./Anastasia Viasova/The Washington Post/Getty Images/File
2023.05.06 Sat posted at 14:25 JST
Washington (CNN) The number of cases in which Russia sabotages the US-made high-mobility rocket artillery system HIMARS has increased in recent months. It is said that it uses jamming (radio jamming) to derail the guidance of the GPS (Global Positioning System) and prevent the rocket from hitting the target.
Several people who were briefed on the matter told CNN.
The Ukrainian military continues to use Hymers and is forced to take various workarounds with the help of the United States. The Hymers has become perhaps the most feared weapon of the war in Ukraine.
Hymars, a medium-range rocket system touted as a game-changer, has played a key role since it was handed over to Ukraine last summer. It was also used in last year’s offensive when Ukraine recaptured large swaths of territory from Russia.
But five sources in the United States, Britain and Ukraine said that in recent months, the system’s effectiveness has diminished due to intense Russian interference. U.S. and Ukrainian officials have been forced to find ways to tweak Hymers’ software to counter increasingly sophisticated Russian jamming, the people said.
“It’s a constant cat-and-mouse game,” said a Pentagon official. He pointed out that even if countermeasures against jamming are found, Russia will come up with countermeasures.
With a large-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive likely to begin soon, resolving this issue is likely to be even more important to the Ukrainian military’s success, given its reliance on Hymers.
Ukraine has so far received 18 Hymers from the United States, and the United States has pledged an additional 20. The U.S. State Department said it received 10 multiple launch rocket systems from other NATO allies.
GPS jamming can also affect smart weapons such as Excalibur, a precision-guided artillery projectile fired from a howitzer, and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), which are dropped from the air. JDAM is particularly vulnerable to sabotage, according to leaked Pentagon documents.
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2023-05-06 05:25:00
