Rebel Russian Forces Destroy Key Electronic Warfare System
Russians fighting within the "Freedom of Russia" legion have boasted about destroying a very valuable Russian R-330Zh Zhitel electronic warfare system. We present its capabilities.
In recent days, pro-Ukrainian Russian rebel groups, including the "Freedom of Russia" Legion, "Russian Volunteer Corps", and the Siberian Battalion, have been actively operating in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. They have been utilising a mix of weaponry, spanning from Soviet-era arms to Western technology, including the Polish PT-91 Twardy tank.
The rebel forces recently claimed they had destroyed the Russian R-330Zh Zhitel electronic warfare system R-330Zh Zhitel. Without a comprehensive recording of this incident, it's challenging to confirm what led to the system's destruction. Nevertheless, a drone screenshot featuring a high-quality camera and a distinct targeting reticle suggests that the Polish FlyEye drone from WB Group, possibly in coordination with artillery or missile strikes, might be responsible.
This Polish drone, resistant to electronic warfare attacks, has successfully targeted anti-aircraft systems, such as Strela-10 or Buk-M1, on multiple occasions.
R-330Zh Zhitel — Russia's anti-drone shield
The Russian Armed Forces deployed the R-330Zh Zhitel systems in 2008 to detect, analyze, and jam radio emissions. The system is said to function across a frequency range from 100 to 2000 MHz, with setup or teardown taking roughly 40 minutes.
Mounted on a Ural-43203 heavy-duty truck, which includes a generator and a fuel reserve, the system is designed to operate autonomously for up to 1600 hours.
Russia claims the R-330Zh Zhitel system has an operational range of about 25 kilometres for ground targets, and potentially double that for aerial targets at higher altitudes. Notably, the system is capable of taking control over drones or pinpointing control stations, thus enabling the targeting of these stations by artillery fire. This represents a significant threat to Ukrainian drone operations.
It's important to highlight that while some drone models are unaffected by this system, the commercial drones widely used in Ukraine are vulnerable to its countermeasures. The elimination of the R-330Zh Zhitel system has opened up new opportunities in the region for the deployment of both improvised "kamikaze" drones and more sophisticated bombing devices, such as those dubbed "Baba Yaga".
