The Silent Invasion: How UAVs Are Testing Israel’s Air Security

The issue of low-flying UAVs during the ongoing war in Israel poses a significant threat that has not yet been effectively addressed. A stark example is the incident where an Iranian drone reportedly targeted the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea. This event highlighted the country’s struggle to counter drone threats effectively, as further evidenced by a recent video showing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying near an Israeli Air Force Apache helicopter, which failed to quickly engage and neutralize the target using its onboard weapons.

Efforts to counter drone attacks through GPS jamming and spoofing have proven largely ineffective. Over the past year, Iranian drones have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to strike military infrastructure with precision, suggesting that traditional electronic countermeasures are insufficient.

Israel has long been considered a global leader in developing UAV detection and neutralization technologies. However, the disappointing results in recent UAV incidents raise questions about the underlying causes. The primary issue is that many of Israel’s counter-drone solutions were developed before Russia invaded Ukraine. During the war in Ukraine, Russian forces significantly improved their UAV technology and developed methods to bypass modern electronic warfare (EW) systems and radar detection.

Given the close technological cooperation between Russia and Iran, it is highly likely that Russia has shared its GPS jamming and spoofing countermeasures with Iran and possibly equipped Iranian drones with the GLONASS navigation system. Ukrainian intelligence has earlier confirmed the use of GLONASS on Iranian Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine, which points to a broader transfer of Russian technologies to Iranian proxies.

Russia has employed a range of technologies in Ukraine to enhance the resilience of its drones against GPS jamming, spoofing, and electronic warfare:

1. Inertial Navigation Systems (INS): Russian military drones utilize INS for navigation to maintain their course even when GPS signals are disrupted. These systems use gyroscopes and accelerometers to calculate position, allowing the drone to continue along its pre-set route.

2. Multispectral Navigation Systems: Some Russian drones have navigation systems that can switch between multiple sources, such as GLONASS and GPS. This multi-system approach increases the likelihood of receiving a reliable signal amid electronic interference.

3. Anti-Jamming Antennas and Signal Suppression Systems: Russian drones often feature anti-jamming antennas that filter out interference and strengthen genuine satellite signals, enabling them to remain operational even when GPS signals are disrupted.

4. Visual-Based Navigation: In specific scenarios, particularly in complex terrain or urban environments, Russian drones use visual navigation by analyzing the surroundings through onboard cameras. This reduces their reliance on GPS and makes them less susceptible to electronic interference. Hezbollah, for instance, has managed to conduct aerial reconnaissance of high-value targets in the North of Israel using similar technologies.

Despite these technological advancements, Russian drones in Ukraine still face the challenges posed by Ukraine’s sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities. Using cheap and highly effective solutions, the Ukrainian military uses locally developed jamming systems and low-altitude target detection to identify and neutralize drones when air defense systems are available.

Given the close technical collaboration between Iran and Russia, it is likely that some of these technologies, along with extensive operational experience with various types of drones, have been passed on to Hezbollah and the Houthis (Ansar Allah). This has made their drone attacks on Israel more effective and deadly. In light of these developments, I can assume that Russia has indirectly authorized and facilitated an attempted attack on the Israeli Prime Minister by transferring drone capabilities to its allies – enemies of Israel that are aimed to destroy the Jewish State.

This situation opens a unique window of opportunity for Israel in terms of target selection for strikes against Iran. Moreover, it legitimizes strikes on Russian military facilities or airbases in Syria used by the Syrian Arab army or Iran aiming to transfer weapons to Hezbollah or other hostile-to-Israel terror organizations. without regard for previous coordination agreements.