This article details the development and impact of Russia's "Kometa" series of digital antenna arrays, designed to protect military equipment from electronic warfare (EW) jamming of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals. Developed between 2008-2013, the Kometa system evolved from a 40kg prototype to a modern version weighing as little as 60g, making it suitable for small drones. It utilizes multiple antenna elements to spatially compensate for interference, increasing jam resistance by 40-50 dB and making it significantly more resilient than conventional receivers. Various models exist for manned aviation, vehicles, stationary objects, and, critically, drones ("Kometa-M") and glide bomb correction modules. The widespread deployment of Kometa-M units on Russian Orlan-10 drones and guided bombs in Ukraine poses a substantial challenge to Ukrainian EW efforts, which previously could easily jam these systems. The article highlights that newer Kometa-M versions incorporate Western components (Altera/Intel, Taoglas, Cirocomm), suggesting a potential vulnerability in Russia's supply chain.
Kometa: Russia's Jam-Resistant GNSS System Challenging Ukrainian EW
Introduction of Kometa: Russia has developed the "Kometa" series of digital antenna arrays to protect military equipment, including drones and guided bombs, from jamming of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals.
GLONASS Vulnerability & Solution: Russia's GLONASS system was long vulnerable to jamming. Kometa was developed from 2008-2013 to provide jam-resistant navigation, with early prototypes (2007) weighing 40 kg.
Technological Advancement: By 2012, new technology dramatically reduced the weight to less than 1 kg, with the most modern version now weighing only 60 grams, making it suitable for small drones.
Jamming Resistance: Kometa receivers demonstrate confident signal reception even with interference tens of thousands of times higher than conventional unprotected receivers, offering a 40-50 dB increase in resistance (reducing suppression radius by 100-300 times). The manufacturer claims resistance to interference 100,000 times greater.
Operational Principle: Instead of a single antenna, Kometa uses four antenna elements to gather spatial information about interference direction and compensate for it.
Variants for Specific Applications:
"Kometa-A" for manned aviation.
"Kometa-B" for vehicles.
"Kometa-N" for terrestrial stationary objects.
"Kometa-M" for drones.
Impact in Ukraine (Kometa-M):
Orlan-10 Drones: The 2022 "Kometa-M" was discovered in a downed Russian Orlan-10 drone, proving essential for these drones to avoid Ukrainian EW. This version (100x100x30 mm, 150g) uses components from American (Altera/Intel, Taoglas) and Taiwanese (Cirocomm) companies.
Glide Bombs: As of 2023, Kometa-M modules are also being installed into Russian gliding and correction kits for bombs, significantly complicating Ukrainian EW efforts to knock them off course.
Key Takeaway: A Major EW Challenge: Kometa-equipped systems are almost unaffected by current electronic jamming systems, presenting a significant hurdle for Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian Countermeasures: To counter Kometa, the Ukrainian military needs more electronic warfare systems, and allies should increase efforts to block the supply channels of Western components used in these arrays.