During the exercise at the Tryokhrechye training ground (Amur Region), Russian servicemen used the latest Pole-21M electronic warfare (EW) complex, the press service of the Eastern Military District (VVO) reports.

The system successfully suppressed the data transmission channels from the simulated enemy UAV.

“According to the plan of the event, the imaginary enemy used several unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct reconnaissance and coordinate the delivery of artillery strikes against the positions of the troops.

Thanks to the capabilities of the Pole-21M complex, the specialists detected the approaching UAVs and disoriented them, creating interference and suppressing navigation and satellite orientation signals, "the website of the Russian Defense Ministry says.

In addition to EW specialists, motorized rifle and tank units were involved in the exercise.

In total, there were more than 500 servicemen and about 150 units of military equipment at the training ground.

"In the interests of high-precision intelligence"

"Pole-21M" is designed to protect strategically important objects from cruise missiles, guided aerial bombs and UAVs by means of radio suppression of equipment for binding to global satellite and radio navigation systems.

The product was developed in the Moscow Scientific and Technical Center for Electronic Warfare (STC REB).

The first batch of "Poles-21M" entered the Amur formation of the Air Defense Forces last April.

In addition to the units deployed in the Far East, the complex is in service with the troops of the Central Military District located in the Urals and in the Samara Region.

In addition, this system is operated by the 201st military base in Tajikistan.

  • Electronic warfare complex control panel

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

As noted by the military, the "Pole-21M" equipment makes it possible to deploy "up to a hundred radio interference posts" in the coverage zone.

Also, the electronic warfare complex is well adapted to different climatic conditions and can operate in the temperature range from -40 ℃ to +50 ℃.

The materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation do not provide the characteristics of the modernized version of the suppression system, however, the website of the JSC STC REB contains information about the basic version of the electronic warfare complex.

As the company notes, its brainchild is a unified radio interference module of a "spatially distributed cover system".

Exposure to radiation from the electronic warfare system protects objects from the targeted use of high-precision weapons.

"Pole-21" allows you to suppress the signals of the GPS (USA), Beidou (China) and Galileo (European Union) satellite systems.

The jamming range of receivers of satellite radio navigation systems is 25 km, the size of the jamming area is 150 km by 150 km.

One radio interference post can accommodate from one to three modules, the energy potential of each of which varies in the range from 300 to 1000 W.

The developer estimates the power consumed by the radio interference control equipment at 600 watts.

In an article published in the July issue of the National Defense magazine, Director General of the Scientific and Technical Center for Electronic Warfare Alexander Sarkisyan stressed that Pole-21 has implemented a new principle of jamming posts control.

The reliability and effectiveness of the electronic warfare system is also confirmed by the results of experimental military operation in areas with an underdeveloped communication system.

“In addition, in the development of the Pole-21 system, effective experimental research is being carried out in the field of intelligent counteraction to global navigation satellite systems, as well as work is underway to use the capabilities of the spatially distributed electronic warfare system in the interests of conducting automated high-precision reconnaissance of mobile air objects and their route tracking ", - noted Sarkisyan.

The material of the top manager also says that specialists of the R&D Center of Electronic Warfare are testing a mobile remotely controlled simulator of radio communications.

It can be used in the course of exercises from the tactical to the operational-strategic level, for camouflage in order to create false areas for the deployment and operation of troops, as well as for training communications, intelligence and electronic warfare specialists.

  • Electronic warfare machine with modules of the "Pole-21M" complex

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

According to the Izvestia newspaper, Pole-21 was put into service in 2016.

The peculiarity of the complex lies in the ability to create an impenetrable dome of interference.

The materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also talk about the ability of "Pole-21" to create an "impenetrable dome" that counteracts "the enemy's guidance and reconnaissance means, using a binding to global radio navigation and satellite systems."

In a theater of military operations, Pole-21 can be used with other electronic warfare means: Borisoglebsk-2, Krasukha, Murmansk-BN, Zhitel, Silok.

According to the military, duty with the use of "Field-21M" allows you to control the airspace within a radius of more than 50 km.

"High level of competence"

As Izvestia reports with reference to materials from the collection "Electronic warfare in the Armed Forces", the only drawback of the newest electronic warfare system is jamming, from which, among other things, domestic users of GPS and GLONASS may suffer.

However, from the point of view of experts, such a problem is relevant for all existing radio suppression systems, therefore, the radiation of electronic warfare equipment is used only when it is necessary to repel an attack of objects previously detected in the airspace.

“It is impossible to constantly create such interference and maintain the field.

The electronic warfare complex or several similar means are turned on for a certain period, when there is an understanding of the inevitability of an air attack.

This is the so-called targeted impact, "Eduard Baghdasaryan, expert of the working group of the Aeronet national technology initiative, explained to RT.

In general, according to the analyst, the use of "Field-21" and other newest Russian electronic warfare systems is an effective measure to combat UAVs and high-precision weapons, often using signals from satellite systems.

The aircraft, which are equipped with autonomous navigation means, are intercepted by other air defense systems, Baghdasaryan said.

“Do not forget that electronic warfare is only one of several ways to combat UAVs and air attack weapons with their own advantages and disadvantages.

It just happened historically that Russia has a very impressive scientific background and a high level of competence in the field of electronic warfare.

In this issue, the Russian Federation is one of the world leaders.

We are talking about ground and airborne electronic warfare means, ”Baghdasaryan said.

In an interview with RT, military expert Alexei Leonkov called the Pole-21M "a highly effective means of supplying radio interference."

According to the analyst, the Russian engineering school has never stopped improving these weapons, realizing their importance in the theater of operations, especially in the context of the development of UAVs and high-precision weapons.

“The Russian industry has been developing electronic warfare systems since Soviet times, and now it has gone far ahead of its Western competitors.

In my opinion, NATO countries do not have such effective systems.

The Pole-21M can rightfully be called one of the unique Russian weapons, "Leonkov summed up.