Oleg Davigora19:34, 12.04.23

Russia is using GPS jamming to interfere with the weapons guidance process.

According to  POLITICO , this is stated in the leaked documents, confirmed by an official representative of the Ministry of Defense.

In some cases, the weapons also failed to explode due to a technical problem that has since been fixed by the Ukrainian military.

In December, the Pentagon began sending modern equipment to Kyiv capable of turning unguided aerial warheads into high-precision “smart bombs” capable of hitting Russian targets with greater precision.

Guided bombs can be launched from a variety of aircraft, such as bombers and fighter jets, and are called Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs. The longer range version sent to Ukraine is called JDAM-Extended Range or JDAM-ER.

But the weapon survived a higher-than-expected level of unexploded ordnance and missed its target on the battlefield, according to a leaked slide prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and confirmed by a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.

In some cases, bomb detonators failed to detonate when they were used, causing the weapon to fail to detonate. According to the slide and the official, the Air Force of Ukraine installed a fix to ensure the bombs were properly assembled.

The document includes a diagram of the ammunition and outlines the technical problem facing the weapon as well as a proposed solution. It also provides a detailed report on the failure rate of weapons in several recent attacks, including dates and the number of rounds required to hit a target. 

The bigger problem is that Russia is using GPS jamming to disrupt the weapons guidance process, according to the slide and an individual familiar with the issue who is not part of the US government. U.S. officials believe Russian jamming is causing JDAMs, and sometimes other U.S. weapons such as guided missiles, to miss their targets.

“I do think there could be concerns that the Russians could be jamming the signal used to control the JDAM, which explains why these munitions don’t work properly and how they work in other war zones,” said Mick Mulroy, a former employee of the Pentagon and a retired CIA officer.

“Smart bombs”  JDAM in Ukraine – details

Information about the transfer of “smart bombs” Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)  first appeared  at the end of February. Projectiles with this equipment are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 72 kilometers.

At the end of March, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that Ukrainian defenders are already using JDAM guided aerial bombs. They are used to strike important targets of the Russian occupiers.

In some cases, the weapons also failed to explode due to a technical problem that has since been fixed by the Ukrainian military.

In December, the Pentagon began sending modern equipment to Kyiv capable of turning unguided aerial warheads into high-precision “smart bombs” capable of hitting Russian targets with greater precision.

Guided bombs can be launched from a variety of aircraft, such as bombers and fighter jets, and are called Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs. The longer range version sent to Ukraine is called JDAM-Extended Range or JDAM-ER.

But the weapon survived a higher-than-expected level of unexploded ordnance and missed its target on the battlefield, according to a leaked slide prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and confirmed by a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.

In some cases, bomb detonators failed to detonate when they were used, causing the weapon to fail to detonate. According to the slide and the official, the Air Force of Ukraine installed a fix to ensure the bombs were properly assembled.

The document includes a diagram of the ammunition and outlines the technical problem facing the weapon as well as a proposed solution. It also provides a detailed report on the failure rate of weapons in several recent attacks, including dates and the number of rounds required to hit a target. 

The bigger problem is that Russia is using GPS jamming to disrupt the weapons guidance process, according to the slide and an individual familiar with the issue who is not part of the US government. U.S. officials believe Russian jamming is causing JDAMs, and sometimes other U.S. weapons such as guided missiles, to miss their targets.

“I do think there could be concerns that the Russians could be jamming the signal used to control the JDAM, which explains why these munitions don’t work properly and how they work in other war zones,” said Mick Mulroy, a former employee of the Pentagon and a retired CIA officer.

“Smart bombs”  JDAM in Ukraine – details

Information about the transfer of “smart bombs” Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)  first appeared  at the end of February. Projectiles with this equipment are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 72 kilometers.

At the end of March, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that Ukrainian defenders are already using JDAM guided aerial bombs. They are used to strike important targets of the Russian occupiers.

(C)UNIAN 2023