In a major concern for Ukraine and its allies as well as US billionaire Elon Musk, the Russian military has reportedly developed an advanced system that can detect signals from enemy unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Can detect those that connect to satellite systems such as Starlink. , The new Russian system, dubbed the ‘Starlink Killer’, is officially called the “Kalinka Monitoring System”.
The United States has provided a large number of Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Starlink communications terminals to the Ukrainian military following Russia’s escalating attack in February 2022. Ukrainian forces are actively using Starlink to coordinate their military operations and connect with aerial and naval drones. Kiev is using it for attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia.
About ‘Starlink Killer’
According to a report by news agency Sputnik, the new state-of-the-art Kalinka surveillance system has been developed by Russia’s Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies (CBST).
CBST Board Chairman Andrey Bezrukov claimed on Saturday that the Russian military is currently testing the new system in Ukraine, which can detect air and sea drones up to 15 kilometers away.
He said the Kalinka system could help the Russian military quickly locate and target Starlink terminals, because “the basic principles of radio signal transmission have not changed since the invention of the radio.” This will reportedly enable the detection of unmanned boats and so-called “Baba Yaga” drones, among other things.
Mr. Bezrukov claimed that Kalinka could also direct communications terminals to Starshield, a militarized version of Starlink. He explained that the detection range of the new system is determined primarily by the terrain in the search area and the use of other electronic systems by enemy forces.
Regarding the time it would take for mass production of the Kalinka system to begin, Mr. Bezrukov said it would depend on demand from Russian forces operating in the conflict zone.
What is Starlink?
SpaceX’s Starlink is a satellite-based internet service that provides high-speed broadband internet access around the world. It operates by transporting data through light, similar to fiber optic cables, which uses an array of small satellites in low Earth orbit to transmit the Internet directly to users on the ground.
The Starlink program aims to provide Internet access in areas with limited telecommunications infrastructure and has proven vital to Ukrainian forces battered by Russian aggression. The Ukrainian military used the Starlink network to connect and fly drones to attack Russian forces. They also used it to send back video to correct artillery fire and to enable mobile networks with encrypted group chats connecting Ukrainian commanders to their troops on the battlefield.
