Drones Becoming Invincible in Electronic Warfare: Anti-Jamming Technology and India's Preparedness

In the modern battlefield, it is not just bullets and missiles that are fighting, but invisible waves as well. The continuous drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine in the first week of November 2026 have shown the world how rapidly drone technology is changing. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, they intercepted over 8,000 drones and missiles in the month of October alone, which is nearly double the figure of 4,700 in September. These statistics indicate that the war is now being played out not only on the ground but also in the electromagnetic spectrum, that is, the field of radio waves.

Electronic warfare (EW) is a method of warfare in which electromagnetic energy is used to disrupt an enemy's communication and radar systems. Its primary objective is to prevent the enemy from using the spectrum while ensuring its uninterrupted use for one's own forces. According to reports from Wikipedia, there are three main divisions of EW: electronic attack, electronic protection, and electronic warfare support. When we talk about 'jam-resistant' drones or drones that provide protection against jamming, we are entering the realm of electronic protection.

Jamming is a type of electronic attack in which the radio signal between an enemy drone and its operator is interfered with. If this contact is broken, the drone either loses its way or flies to pre-determined coordinates like a blind weapon. To solve this problem, Russia has made major changes to its Shahed drones. According to a Firstpost report, the new Shahed drones flying over Kyiv now have satellite navigation antennas with 32 elements, whereas a year ago there were only 16. The more elements an antenna has, the more jammers it can block simultaneously.

To understand how this technology works, let's take a simple example. Suppose you are talking to your friend in a crowded room, and people around you are shouting loudly to disturb you. If you have the ability to focus only on your friend's voice and filter out the rest of the noise, that is electronic protection. The multi-element antennas in drones do exactly this. They identify the direction from which the jamming signal is coming and reject the signal from that direction, while holding onto the weak signal coming from the satellite.

Russia has made revolutionary changes not only to the antennas but also to the speed and communication systems of its drones. The new Geran-5 drones now run on Chinese turbojet engines, which increase their speed to 600 km/h. Russia is currently conducting tests to achieve a speed of 900 km/h, making them nearly as fast as cruise missiles. Due to such speeds, defense systems are left with only a few minutes to react. In September, Ukraine could intercept only 57 percent of jet-powered drones; although this rate has recently increased to 74 percent, it is still lower than the success rate against slower propeller drones.

These drones now use Chinese-made modems to create a mesh radio network. Through this network, an operator sitting in Russia can view live footage from the drone's camera and select targets in the final minutes. The drone only loses its accuracy if this link is broken through jamming. This is why Ukraine has built an electronic shield of jammers and antennas at hundreds of sites around Kyiv. However, Russia is now also using decoys such as Gerbera and Parodiya, which are intended to waste Ukraine's expensive missiles and reveal the locations of their air defense systems.

For India, these technological advancements are extremely important. On the night of May 8 and 9, 2025, Pakistan sent 300 to 400 drones to 36 locations ranging from Leh to Sir Creek. According to Indian officials, the purpose of this attack was to map India's air defense system. India shot down most of the drones using the Akashteer system and jammers, but those drones were slow and cheap. In the future, Pakistan could also acquire drones from China equipped with modern turbojet engines and 32-element antennas, which could threaten Indian airspace and deplete its stock of MRSAM missiles.

Tests conducted by the Indian Army revealed that after Operation Sindoor, none of the 46 Indian drone manufacturers could withstand jamming or spoofing—that is, misleading drones by providing false signals. Considering this serious situation, the Ministry of Defence has approved a drone technology hub at IIT Kanpur at a cost of ₹500 crore. The main objective of this hub is to develop jam-resistant links and navigation systems so that Indian drones can penetrate enemy electronic shields.

There are four key lessons for India based on the experience in Ukraine. First, jammers must be networked and mass-produced. Second, to conserve expensive missiles, affordable 'hard kill' options such as anti-drone guns and interceptor drones must be developed. Third, radar coverage around airbases like Pathankot, Adampur, and Srinagar must be intensified to track targets approaching at speeds of 600 km/h. And fourth, control over the supply chain is essential, as countries like China could impose restrictions on drone engine exports at any time.

The history of electronic warfare is quite old. According to Wikipedia, during the Boer War of 1899-1902, the British Army used searchlights to send Morse code, which the Boers attempted to jam with their own searchlights. Today, those searchlights have been replaced by sophisticated antennas and algorithms. As drones become more autonomous and jam-resistant, the outcome of war will depend on who possesses superior technology. For India, this is not merely a matter of technology, but an imperative of national security.