The essence of the great way is simplicity! The Russian military counters Western electronic warfare systems worth tens of billions of dollars with a two-dollar magnetic compass.
The Russian forces have found a low-cost yet highly effective method to bypass Ukraine’s electronic warfare systems. According to a frustrated disclosure by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry military advisor, the Russian cheap attack drone “Lightning” has begun equipping ordinary magnetic compasses. After onboard cameras read the compass data, the drone can continue flying even under interference. Over the past six months, this model of Russian drone has adopted its fourth anti-jamming solution. What stands out most is the astonishing speed of these upgrades.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry advisor stated on Friday that the Russian low-cost attack drone “Lightning” has already been fitted with a simple magnetic compass. The compass readings are recorded by the drone’s built-in camera, ensuring it maintains course even when satellite signals are lost. This marks the fourth navigation protection measure implemented on this plywood-based drone within half a year. The real threat isn’t the inexpensive component itself, but rather the lightning-fast pace of improvement—precisely the main challenge that Ukraine and the West currently struggle to counter.
In modern warfare, nearly every drone relies on satellite navigation signals, whether GPS or GLONASS. Both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have invested heavily in jamming and spoofing data. Entire electronic warfare units in Ukrainian and Russian armies were established for one purpose: to disorient enemy drones. But the magnetic compass renders all such efforts instantly ineffective.
The magnetic compass neither receives nor transmits any signal—it only responds to Earth’s natural magnetic field. No interference device on Earth can shield against this field. By combining this most ancient navigation tool with the drone’s existing camera, the cost remains virtually negligible. This solution requires no complex electronics, yet enables the “Lightning” drone to maintain critical heading stability in radio-jammed environments, allowing it to accurately strike targets even amid invisible waves of interference. This is precisely its essence: rugged design leads to unbreakable reliability.
Initially, the Russian “Lightning” drones were crude FPV attack drones assembled by frontline soldiers using plywood, foam plastic, and aluminum tubes, with a range of about 40 kilometers. According to Beskrestnov’s assessment, the cost of this aircraft is extremely low—Russia can produce ten to fifteen “Lightning” drones for the price of just one $100,000 Supercam reconnaissance drone. Today, the drone has evolved into a complete series of equipment. Heavier, intelligence-gathering modified versions have already appeared on the battlefield, capable of dropping anti-tank mines and even serving as airborne carriers for smaller FPV drones. Last month, this drone transformed into an export product: Russia’s state technology corporation “Rostec” showcased a model designated “Lightning-13” at a weapons exhibition in Belarus and revealed that five frontline units have already been equipped. This means that what once started as cheap hobbyist parts has now entered industrial mass production: assembly lines continuously churn out airframes, with weekly iterations and upgrades, while also exporting the entire technical solution overseas.
This magnetic compass points to three key facts. The rate at which Russia produces and iterates its low-cost drones far exceeds any military procurement system in the West. From identifying battlefield problems to delivering finished products, the cycle takes only weeks. Russian engineers are using two-dollar components to neutralize threats worth tens of billions of dollars. In their design philosophy, the aircraft itself is merely a disposable item—the real weapon is the production line. This tactic also forces defenders to bear enormous costs in every engagement: to intercept these plywood drones, they must deploy expensive interception drones, electronic warfare systems, and engineering resources.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871219216558283/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.