This $2 low-tech upgrade just made Russia's cheap 'cardboard-and-plywood' drone almost unjammable
- Russia is adding magnetic compasses to drones affected by satellite navigation jamming
- The Molniya can use Earth’s magnetic field for basic directional guidance
- A camera periodically checks the compass during the drone’s flight
Russian engineers have reportedly fitted a basic magnetic compass onto the cheap Molniya attack drone to counter satellite jamming.
The modification offers a low-cost alternative when electronic warfare systems interfere with GPS or GLONASS signals used by many unmanned aircraft.
Although the upgrade does not make the drone completely immune to interference, it removes dependence on satellite signals for basic directional guidance.
A compass helps the Molniya survive satellite jamming
Most drones depend on satellite navigation systems that both Ukrainian and Russian electronic warfare units have spent the war jamming and spoofing.
Unlike satellite navigation, a magnetic compass reads Earth’s magnetic field directly and does not depend on an external radio signal.
This makes the system difficult...
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