Lack of air-defense. No problem. Put 8,000 cell phones on poles to take out Russian drones
Ukraine keeps innovating its way out of trouble
One-way suicide drones, or Kamikaze drones, are a nuisance. Well, they started off as a nuisance but have developed into a credible weapon over the course of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After the March 22 attack, which left millions of Ukrainians in the dark and left the nation’s power production infrastructure in serious trouble, the President of Ukraine explained the continued level of threat they face and the need to improve Ukraine’s air defense. He said:
“Russian air strikes this morning were heinous, with the deliberate goal of causing structural damage to society’s life rather than military damage to our ability to defend ourselves. This is terror, by definition, without any disguises. The strikes harmed over thirty people across the country.
As of now, five people have been reported killed. My condolences to their close ones. A significant part of our energy system is damaged. Air defense is the top priority right now. Our people here in Ukraine are responsible for the physical protection of facilities and their recovery following strikes.
However, true and comprehensive protection from Russian missiles and “Shahed” drones is only possible with sufficient political will on the part of our partners. We work on it every day.
Every day, we persuade partners of the importance and, more importantly, the feasibility of full protection of Ukrainian skies. Russian terror is only possible because we do not have enough modern air defense systems. Frankly, because our partners lack the political will to provide them. They all know exactly what is required and who can make life-saving decisions”. —President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine knows there is no way they can stop the Russian missiles on their own. They will forever be dependent on their allies to defend against Russian missiles. But they have found an innovative way to address the threat posed by Russian drones.
It is good because the drones Russia imports from Iran will keep coming.
From the Russian perspective, these drones play a vital role in confusing Ukraine’s air defense, then reducing or, if possible, totally depleting the air defense stock in the target area and paving the way for the missiles to reach their target. It is not just a nuisance but more of an associated weapon for the Russian missiles. Of course, it can also be used as a standalone weapon, similar to how Ukraine uses it against Russian economic assets inside Russia.
The frontline in Ukraine is more than 900 kilometers long, and the amount of territory Ukraine has to protect is in the order of hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. It is nearly impossible to protect all the buildings, assets, villages, towns, and cities. Thanks to Western partners, Ukraine does not have enough air defense systems to provide multi-layered protection for its people.
The Middle East, thanks to the United States has 12 Patriot batteries standing in the region. The U.S. Army said, “it currently has 16 Patriot battalions. A 2018 International Institute for Strategic Studies report found those battalions operate 50 batteries, which have more than 1,200 missile interceptors.
The U.S. batteries are regularly deployed around the world. In addition, Patriots also are operated or being purchased by the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Greece, Spain, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Romania, Sweden, Poland and Bahrain”.
Poland has five units. Germany has 11 units. Spain has three units.
Ukraine has four units.
Ukraine is the one getting attacked with 80 to 90 missiles at regular intervals. Ukraine does not have enough air defense systems, and the system is constantly under harassment by Iranian drones. To reduce this drone threat, Ukraine developed an innovative plan.
A low-cost communication network enables Ukraine to monitor aerial threats heading into their territory. General James Hecker, U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa Commander, stated that this cost-effective solution enabled Ukraine to gather extensive data on drone movement.
He said, “They are coming in at 100 feet so you don’t see them in the regular radar because you don’t have the line of sight over the horizon due to the curvature of the earth.
What did they do?
They grabbed 8,000 cell phones and they put them on a six-foot pole and they put them all around Ukraine and they put a microphone next to it so they could hear the one-way UAVs coming overhead. Cost $500.
They are able to get headings. They are able to get velocity of these things. And they train a guy for six hours to sit in the AAA (Anti-Aircraft Guns) and look at an iPad that will show him where the UAVs were coming in.”
Once Ukrainian troops tasked with tracking the UAVs are aware of an incoming threat, the mobile units in the vicinity are activated to respond. According to the general, Ukraine has around 200 mobile units on standby to respond and intercept the drones.
If you cannot provide these people with more Patriot batteries, then at least you can give them a lot more anti-aircraft guns. Every time the Western world engages in deep consideration about what to provide, even with systems they have in abundance, it is Ukraine that finds a way or a workaround to create a solution.
You won’t give me long-range missiles, then let me develop a naval drone in just 18 months to target and destroy naval ships in the Black Sea. You won’t give me permission to attack the conflict at its source, then let me build many different types of drones to do exactly that. You won’t be able to provide me with enough high-end and low-end air defense systems, then let me use a phone, pole, and internet to defend against the drones.
Ukraine needs more Patriots:
The shortage of air defense units not only affects urban centers and harms civilian infrastructure but also disrupts frontline operations. Explaining this in an interview with Politico, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said:
“If we had enough air defense systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only the lives of our people, but also our economy from destruction.
When Ukrainian troops are losing positions, let’s look at the reason why? It is because Russia has began to massively use upgraded aerial guided bombs.
You cannot escape from if you’re the intended target. You cannot jam it. It just falls on your head and destroys everything. This is how we’re losing positions and the only way to prevent this is to shoot down the planes carrying the bombs.
We need air-defense systems on the frontlines.”
This, I believe, is the least the United States can do for Ukraine. If you don’t want them to defeat Russia, fine. At least give them a chance to protect their lives. America can take on this one job. Just this one job. Send ten Patriot units, keep loading them up with missiles, and forget about anything else. That will suffice. Ukraine and Europe can handle the rest.
That is not a lot to ask. That is not a difficult thing to do. The US has plenty of Patriot units sitting idle. Declare them as surplus and use emergency powers to send them to Ukraine. Then do the same to send air defense stockpiles.
If you want to give, you can take the decision tomorrow. That is how long it will take.
The way Western media covers the war against Ukraine has gone off-track. As a result, I have decided to make my Ukraine stories public, without placing them behind the paywall.
