"Russian forces are equipping Shahed drones with passive radar homing." This claim made a splash in Ukrainian media after an image of what looks like an antenna module appeared on military auction site Reibert, supposedly taken from an enemy drone.
A popular Telegram channel called Colonel GSh analyzed the photos, concluding that “theoretically, it can autonomously guide the UAV to active radio sources, including radar.”
If true, this can potentially transform modified Shaheds into discount versions of anti-radiation weapons — radar hunters.
Ukrainians have used anti-radiation missiles to take out Russia’s air defense installations, especially during the earlier phases of the war. Russians also use anti-radiation missiles in their strikes. This taught Ukrainians to be crafty about how long they switch on their radar to detect aerial threats before shutting them off again to avoid becoming a target.
A source in Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces told Euromaidan Press that the Colonel GSh theory is plausible.
However, an analysis by Ukrainian site Defense Express was more cautious. While this may be an attempt to Frankenstein together a passive radio seeker out of other equipment, much would depend on the drone from which it was supposedly taken — and that information is not currently available.
If the drone had an explosive payload, then it's possible. However, if there was no payload, it's likely this device is meant to find the locations of surrounding air defense units, then transmit that information to the operator.
For now, further information about the supposed drone is not available. But in either case, this device is another sign of how the Russians are constantly adapting their Shahed drones to make them better at evading or destroying Ukrainian air defenses.
“There is currently no confirmation that this passive radar homing head was obtained from a Russian attack drone of the Shahed type,” wrote Anton Zemlyanyi, a senior analyst with the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center.
“However, if this is indeed the case, then this is another attempt by Russian engineers to optimize the use of drones, to expand their functionality.”
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The equipment is on sale for a starting price of UAH 100,000 (about $2,277). The photos display a module with four passive antennas with the label 125AE02 CIVR.464651.015.
According to multiple analysts, these numbers are attached to a venerable Russian IFF (identify friend or foe) system called ES GRLO or "Password.” This IFF is part of the "Lyra-VM" communication system.
The module has a piece of white tape stuck over it, with a handwritten date of when this device was calibrated: 30 September, 2024.
Defense Express noted that the module doesn't appear to have a yoke, which would allow the antenna to move and point itself towards a radio source, thus guiding the drone in that direction. This type of yoke is often used in Russian anti-radiation missiles.
Zemlyanyi said that it’s possible that this is part of the Russians’ attempts to add more functionality to their attack drones. Trying to shut down Ukrainian radar that detects Shaheds is a logical step.
However, these kinds of modules are probably not being mass-produced just yet, “otherwise their use would have become known even sooner.” If the Shahed modified with this equipment existed, it was likely a prototype.
“Similar modifications of Russian Shaheds do not have the effectiveness and impact that Russian designers and engineers attributed to them,” Zemlyanyi wrote.
