No Need for Starlink: Russia Finds a Way to Strike Targets Hundreds of Kilometers Away Using Drones
Russian drones in the center of Kyiv. Photo.
After cutting off Starlink satellite internet services for Russian drones, Russian experts have developed drone autonomous navigation technology. The new "Kinzhal" (Spear) drone launched an attack on Kyiv.
According to Defense Express, citing sources, this drone "crashed on Independence Square." The report pointed out that it is a new type of equipment, as the distance from the Russian border to Kyiv is 200 kilometers, far exceeding the range of ordinary "Kinzhal" drones, which is less than 90 kilometers.
Defense Express stated that debris inspection showed this drone used swarm operations and autonomous navigation mode, with green and orange ring-shaped markings on its body, consistent with the markings of the Russian V2U autonomous drone. This matches the situation of the drone cluster attack that Kyiv experienced in the early morning. Ukrainian military social media accounts expressed regret, stating that major cities across Ukraine have not yet installed protective nets on the streets. One comment said that Kyiv should have done this long ago, because "the threat is approaching."
At the same time, Colonel Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said these drones carried out missions through a mesh network.
Ignat said, "About 30 different types of drones were directed towards Kyiv region. The bad news is that these drones are equipped with mesh networks and other communication links, allowing the enemy to control them."
A mesh network is a communication mode where devices (nodes) are directly connected to each other rather than transmitting signals through a single central router. Ordinary Wi-Fi is like a "base station," where all devices need to connect to it. If the distance is too far, the connection will be lost. In contrast, a mesh network forms a unified "net," where each network node (module) has both receiving and transmitting functions. If one node fails, data will automatically bypass through adjacent "grids," and the network will autonomously choose the shortest and most stable transmission path. A mesh network allows a single drone to form a swarm combat system.
Recently, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that Ukraine has destroyed the mesh network used to attack Kyiv from the Belarusian direction, but this network was a fixed network relying on repeaters. The attack on Kyiv did not use this fixed network, but instead used a new autonomous technology.
The Russian shutdown of Starlink and the activation of the mesh network are directly related: after the satellite terminals were blocked, the Russian military began to widely adopt autonomous mesh networks to control drones, replacing satellite communication with a drone relay chain. Each drone in the air acts as a "signal tower" for the next one.
Using this type of drone to strike Kyiv indicates that the Russian guidance system has achieved autonomous operation without Starlink. Air defense systems find it extremely difficult to intercept these small "intelligent" targets, as they can maneuver without signal delay. This type of equipment has been mass-produced and can be used to strike deep rear targets.
Humanity is entering the era of "autonomous killing weapons," where strike decisions are made by algorithms, and technically, their communication links are almost impossible to cut. There is no absolute defensive method. Defense Express believes that the Russian use of "Kinzhal" drones carrying a 3-kilogram warhead to attack the center of Kyiv is essentially an "action to demonstrate new capabilities of the Russian military."
Original: toutiao.com/article/7618405589118468614/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.