Disappointment on the battlefield: Russian electronic warfare system “Volnorez” fails to cope with drones
The Volnorez electronic warfare device that was distributed to the Russian military turned out to be completely inoperable. This was reported by Russian blogger Vladimir Romanov on his Telegram channel.
In a message on Telegram, the source notes that those who received the device should test it, see the disappointing results, and not believe the words. According to him, the Volnorez RIB is completely out of commission.
Vladimir Romanov is a Russian blogger from Crimea who runs the Romanov Light Telegram channel.
Who is Vladimir Romanov?
Earlier, he had already become known for a scandalous video in which Kateryna Kolomiets from Kherson, apologizing to Russians, speaks of “undergoing a course of denazification.” It is not known for certain whether Romanov filmed a staged video with fake persons or whether the woman was forced to say the text required by Russian propagandists through threats.
Romanov himself called the video his “exclusive” and said that he was starting a “denazification” section. Over the next three days, several more similar videos appeared on his channel. People were apologizing to the occupiers, but they stuttered and looked scared.
In addition, Romanov forced his followers to apologize on camera to those who left comments on his Telegram channel that were not favorable to the blogger.
In September 2023, the Russian army tested a compact electronic warfare system presented under the name “Volnorez” at the Army 2023 exhibition. Back then, the Russians were testing electronic warfare in the occupied Crimea. At the time, Serhiy Beskrestnov suggested that these electronic warfare systems were meant to protect vehicle crews from FPV drones.
According to the expert, the images make it clear that the unusual shape of the antenna is capable of emitting radio interference at a frequency of 900 MHz with a spherical pattern. And if so, it is an electronic warfare system for compact FPV quadcopters. Allegedly, the antenna is capable of operating at frequencies up to 3000 MHz.
Later, Beskrestnov spoke about the possible shortcomings of such a defense system. The Russians had the task of inventing a universal antenna that would work in a wide frequency range and have a spherical pattern to create a protective “dome” for the equipment. The Mushroom antenna was suitable for this purpose.
However, the implementation of Volnorez has critical shortcomings. The chart has a large dip, and this is the place where it is vulnerable and unprotected. Such a Dome can be safely attacked by turning the antennas on the drones horizontally. We can assume that he is gone,” Beskrestnov said.
The expert believed that Russian manufacturers were cheating with the Volnorez tests. They have publicly demonstrated protection against FPV flying very far from the remote control. According to Beskrestnov, such a drone is easy to jam.
“If our pilots launch FPV from a few kilometers away with a 2-watt remote control and a good antenna, plus they probe the antenna pattern and play with polarization, all of Volnorez’s defenses will be blown away,” he said.
A new electronic warfare system called Saniya is currently being installed on Russian tanks. The Russian company announced the construction of the complex in October 2023. The Russians noted that Saniya can detect a UAV at a range of up to 1.5 km and disable it at a distance of up to 1 km.
