Ukraine learns to fight without Starlink as Musk plays politics with satellites

The Zhakh series of FPV quadcopter drones made by the Ukrainian company BlueBird Tech can unspool fiber-optic cable to maintain communications with human operators.

Credit:
BlueBird Tech

The Ukrainian company produces multiple types of drones for reconnaissance and strike missions, along with a ground robot, drone detection systems, and electronic warfare systems. It has also begun developing an air-defense interceptor drone.

There are still “certain product configurations for which no direct replacement for Starlink currently exists,” because the satellite service’s “technical capabilities and accessibility make it difficult to substitute in some applications,” the BlueBird Tech representative said. But they also described the company as “actively exploring ways to add redundancy and potentially replace these components in the future.”

Some of the most promising wireless approaches include using ground-based LTE or 5G wireless networks or even turning to laser-based optical communication.

BlueBird Tech is also examining radio-based mesh networks that allow ground transmitters or even radio-equipped drones to act as relay nodes within a larger decentralized communications system. This approach has been increasingly implemented by Russian drone strike missions on Ukrainian cities, as detailed by The Kyiv Independent.

Navigation alternatives and AI guidance

Another Ukrainian defense company, Buntar Aerospace, described having always accounted for the possibility that a communications service like Starlink could become available because of battlefield conditions.

“The recent Starlink and Starshield disruptions did not affect our operations because we had prepared for this scenario in advance,” said Bohdan Sas, cofounder of Buntar Aerospace, in an email to Ars. “Losing access to one communications service does not necessarily mean losing the ability to conduct a mission.”

The Buntar-3 reconnaissance drone can integrate Starlink but also has backup communication systems.

Credit:
Buntar Aerospace

Buntar Aerospace has provided Ukrainian military forces with fixed-wing reconnaissance drones that can fly up to 62 miles (100 kilometers). The drone’s operations benefit from AI-driven software called Buntar Copilot that can supposedly adapt flight plans for factors such as weather, signal quality or interference, and battery life.