Following a couple of links last night I ran across this, from United24 Media:
Ukrainian forces have found an effective counter to Russia’s long-range glide bombs, particularly the notorious UMPK kits used to convert conventional bombs into guided munitions, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Lb.ua on April 9.
“We have a sufficient number of electronic warfare systems that disrupt the guidance of enemy glide bombs,” said Syrskyi.
“It was flying in one direction, and then for some reason veered off in another. The battle between guidance systems and electronic warfare is constant—just like the contest between drones and EW.”
Syrskyi confirmed for the first time that electronic warfare (EW) systems are now Ukraine’s primary defense against Russian glide bombs, including KABs equipped with UMPK kits. These bombs rely heavily on satellite navigation, which can be jammed or spoofed to mislead them off course.
I’ve not heard of this news site before, but I quote it only for context, because we know: Ukraine perseveres.
What does this mean?
In standard evolutionary biology, the individuals of a species face challenges as each, in their own way, tries to perpetuate the species. When most of the members of a species are facing the same, new challenge, this is an evolutionary pressure on the species, and it can be existential.
That is, find a way to survive it, or the species goes extinct. Evolve a defense against that new predatory species, or learn to metabolize oxygen, for example.
The thing is, the surviving species often move from weak sister to big brother. If & when Ukraine survives Putin’s War, what will most likely emerge is a stronger, tougher nation, a nation that knows how to make war – and, with thanks to Professor Turchin, why to avoid going to war.
They survived the first week of Putin’s War, when Putin expected them to collapse in a few days. That was 24 February 2022. More than three years later, they continue to survive. They’ve learned how to deal with allies, with Russian meat attacks, Russian tanks, use and defend against drone warfare, and now glide bombs.
They’ll have some skills that no one else has, if they survive. That’s something to remember.
