The HIMARS artillery missile systems in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces have become less effective in recent months due to intense Russian electronic jamming.
Source: CNN, citing its sources
Quote: “Russia has been thwarting US-made mobile rocket systems in Ukraine more frequently in recent months, using electronic jammers to throw off its GPS guided targeting system to cause rockets to miss their targets.”
Details: HIMARS medium-range missile systems were recognised as game-changers and played a vital role in the war, but now they have become less effective due to the occupiers’ actions.
CNN sources state that this is forcing a search for ways to tweak the HIMARS software to counter Russia’s growing jamming efforts.
“It is a constant cat-and-mouse game of finding a countermeasure to the jamming only to then have the Russians counteract that countermeasure. And it is not clear how sustainable that game is in the long term,” said an anonymous Pentagon official.
Given the anticipated counteroffensive, solutions that will help Ukrainian troops make significant advances become even more of a priority.
“It’s one thing to be able to hold the Russians off where they are right now. It’s another thing to drive them out,” said retired US Army Brigadier General Steve Anderson.
Background: On 3 May, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine released a video showing how the American multiple-launch rocket systems HIMARS were stored and reported that not a single HIMARS system had been destroyed.
Credit: Yahoo News