Ukraine has apparently succeeded in disrupting glide bombs used by Russian forces after months of attempts, Der Spiegel reports. This breakthrough could significantly impact battlefield conditions if sustained, particularly considering potential policy changes under the Trump administration.

Russian military bloggers with connections to the air force reported earlier that Ukrainian forces have successfully disrupted the control systems of these weapons. Glide bombs function as conventional aerial munitions upgraded with metal wings and satellite navigation, which increases both their range and accuracy. Their lack of a motor means they produce no heat signature, making them difficult for conventional air defense systems to detect and intercept, Der Spiegel notes. During flight, they can be controlled via satellite.

How Ukraine disrupts Russian bombs

While precise details of Ukraine’s countermeasures remain limited, military expert Thomas Withington from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) explained to Der Spiegel that satellite jamming is a likely method.

“When a satellite signal reaches the earth, it is only very weak. If you generate a stronger signal at the same frequency near the receiver, it will mask the signal from space,” Withington told Der Spiegel.

This interference allows defenders to redirect the bomb onto a new trajectory. Russian forces reportedly complain they now require many more bombs and sorties to achieve successful strikes, making missions increasingly impractical.

Withington notes that countermeasures against such jamming do exist:

“Western glide bombs, for example, use an encrypted GPS signal and therefore do not react to other signals.”

Whether Russians lack this technology or Ukrainians have broken their encryption remains unclear. Russian forces generally use their own satellite navigation system called Glonass, but according to Withington, many frontline soldiers utilize simple, unencrypted receivers.

Battlefield implications

Consistently disrupting glide bombs would further weaken Russia’s stalled advances. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air capabilities are advancing with Western support, as American F-16s and French Mirages gradually arrive, and Ukraine has been using US- and French-supplied glide bombs.

However, Western equipment comes with limitations.

“The Ukrainians have not received permission from the Americans to use the encrypted signal because the technology could fall into the hands of the Russians,” Withington explained to Der Spiegel.

With modern glide bombs and fighter jets, Ukraine could gain an advantage, though limited by their small numbers. In larger quantities, these weapons could severely impact Russian forces, but given uncertain US support, a significant increase in capability seems unlikely for now.

Related:

• Reuters: Ukraine to receive jamming-resistant GLSDB bombs as ATACMS run out
• Russian bombs injure seven civilians in Zolochiv, including a 12-year-old and a 93-year-old
• Reuters: Russians achieve higher precision with North Korean missiles in Ukraine
• Russia’s fiber-optic drones dodge jamming, but Ukraine hunts them with infrared and sound
• Ukrainian long-range drones now reusable and carry 250 kg bombs
• Russians accidentally drop another “smart bomb” on domestic territory
• Two schoolgirls burned alive in Zaporizhzhia as Russian airbombs kill 10
• Russian guided bombs kill one and injure 22 people in southeastern Zaporizhzhia