American weapons “go out” during the war in Ukraine; Boeing will improve the functionality of “anti-jam” GLSDBs

Advanced ground-launched long-range small-diameter bombs (GLSDBs) supplied by the United States to Ukraine face great difficulty in hitting their targets due to sophisticated Russian electronic jamming techniques. But it is not the only weapon whose effectiveness has significantly diminished.

Despite bombmaker Boeing's praise for the weapon's “highly jamming-resistant” GPS navigation system, these bombs have struggled to maintain the precision imposed by Russian countermeasures.

The GLSDB, a relatively new guided bomb developed by Boeing and Saab, has an impressive range of about 100 miles, achieved by small wings that extend from its body.

Ukraine received these munitions in early February after months of requests for long-range capabilities to strike strategic targets, including those in Crimea.

The delivery sparked widespread enthusiasm, with military experts suggesting the weapons could force Russia to move its supplies away from the front lines.

However, according to three sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters, Russian jamming efforts are compromising the guidance systems of these bombs, causing a significant number of launches to fail to hit their targets.

Russian forces use GPS spoofers to disrupt the trajectory of munitions. These devices work by transmitting false location data to GPS navigation systems. Due to the relatively weak nature of GPS signals, a stronger false signal can override accurate entries.

Russia has used GPS spoofing tactics in Ukraine since 2018. However, technological advancements have made it easier to create low-cost spoofers, requiring only a software-defined radio and open source software .

Boeing and Saab had already highlighted the high precision and extended range of the GLSDB, marketing its navigation system in 2022 as “supported by highly jamming-resistant GPS.” Yet despite these claims, one source said it would take Boeing several months to resolve the jamming issues.

A Boeing spokesperson previously acknowledged the problem and said the company was “working closely with the [Defense Department] on improvements to the spiral capability of the SDB ground launch system. Spiral capability upgrades refer to an iterative software development process aimed at improving weapon performance.

In late April, William LaPlante, the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, mentioned that a U.S.-supplied precision weapon had encountered problems in Ukraine, in part because of electronic warfare. Although he did not specify the weapon, Defense One reports indicated that it was likely the GLSDB.

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Other weapons face similar problems

The conflict in Ukraine serves as a modern testing ground for Western weapons, revealing vulnerabilities not previously encountered against rivals like Russia.

GLSDBs are not the only U.S.-supplied weapons facing difficulties due to Russian electronic jamming techniques.

According to Washington Post sources, kyiv has stopped certain American weapons, notably those based on satellite guidance systems, after a drop in their precision.

Excalibur artillery projectile rounds (an extended-range precision munition) and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) are among the affected weapons, and their accuracy has declined significantly in recent months.

The success rate of Excalibur shells, for example, is said to have fallen to less than 10 percent. That prompted Washington to halt deliveries six months after Ukrainian authorities reported the problem. Russian soldiers once called GPS-guided shells “the hardest” to intercept and considered them a far greater threat than HIMARS.

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A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the Pentagon anticipated such challenges and worked with Ukraine to counter Russian electronic warfare.

However, the effectiveness of these measures is diminishing as Russia continues to evolve its reliance on electronic warfare tactics. The report states that even before the United States stopped supplying Excalibur rounds, Ukrainian operators had almost stopped using them due to their complexity compared to other munitions.

In testimony before the U.S. Congress in March, Daniel Patt, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, noted that the effectiveness of GPS-guided Excalibur shells had dropped from 70 percent to 6 percent over several months due to new tactics. electronic warfare in Ukraine.

Patt referenced the work of Jack Watling, an expert at the RUSI think tank who had repeatedly interviewed Ukrainian commanders.

Russian electronic warfare also poses challenges for Ukrainian pilots. The proposed introduction of modern F-16 fighters will strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force's ability to counter Russian aircraft.

Regarding the HIMARS, the report adds that although they were initially successful in destroying Russian command posts and weapons depots, Russian electronic warfare began to jam them during the second year of the war.

This reduced their effectiveness to the point that expensive shells were used against low priority targets. Although kyiv still values ​​its HIMARS missiles, Russian jamming can cause them to miss by 15 meters or more.

Despite these challenges, the United States continues to provide additional equipment to HIMARS to ensure precise targeting, while Ukrainian forces employ various tactics, including drones, to counter Russian electronic warfare.