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Russia’s Kaysant Research and Production Association unveiled two new anti-drone electronic warfare systems on the sideline of the Special Gear exhibition that was held in Moscow on June 29-30.
The association’s director for development Alyona Balandina told TASS that the first system, dubbed Argus-Kupol, was designed to provide all-around protection against drones.
“The Argus-Kupol is capable of thwarting the flights of one or several unmanned aerial vehicles within its operational range already at the start of its work. The system has been engineered both in its stationary and mobile versions,” Balandina said.
Several Argus-Kupol jammers are currently being employed in the zone of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the executive added.
“The portable Argus-Kupol can be used for rescue operations and for protecting sites like trenches and strongholds. If we take larger antennae, we increase the operational radius and can cover vital facilities, including civil sites with the Kupol. We have rolled out several stations. They have splendidly undergone tests and are now being employed in the area of the special military operation. After we get feedback, the system will go into mass production,” Balandina said.
According to Balandina, the Argus-Kupol can be produced in various sizes, depending on the required scope of protecting the territory.
The executive told the Russian news agency that the second system, Argus-Antifuria, is meant to counter long-range drones.
“The Argus-Antifuria is a stationary unit that can suppress even very large aircraft-type drones. The system has been engineered with a view of employing it in the zone of the special military operation but there are plans to use it for protecting urban infrastructure,” Balandina said.
The system was especially developed to suppress drones in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, like Furia, Leleka and Valkyrie.
Balandina said that the Argus-Antifuria can be mounted on a tripod, placed on a pickup truck or installed at stationary observation posts.
“A prototype is on display at the exhibition. This modification is currently being finalized for its more effective use in the zone of combat operations. The tests of the Argus-Antifuria are scheduled for August this year and we are holding negotiations on conducting joint trials with the Defense Ministry of Russia, security and law-enforcement agencies. The mass production is expected to be launched from September,” the Kaysant executive said.
The electronic warfare system takes no more than five minutes to deploy and can suppress drones at a range of up to two kilometers.
“The system weighs just 18 kg. It can operate round-the-clock if connected to a 220 V power supply with a change of operators. The station is based on the principle of suppressing any frequency bands used by drones. The operator-drone communication is jammed and the drone loses control and the flight assignment is terminated,” Balandina explained.
Russia has been working to beef up its electronic warfare means to address the threat posed by Ukrainian drones within and outside the special military operation zone.
In recent months, Kiev forces stepped up attacks with suicide drones on Russian territory. Some of the attacks even targeted the capital, Moscow. However, electronic warfare means and air defense systems were able to thwart most of the attacks.
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