Russia's "Starlink Killer" Might Become A Nightmare For Ukraine, Elon Musk

In a major concern for Ukraine and its allies, as well as US billionaire Elon Musk, the Russian Military has reportedly developed an advanced system which could detect and locate signals from enemy unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UAVs) that connect to satellite systems such as Starlink. The new Russian system, dubbed as the 'Starlink killer', is officially called the "Kalinka monitoring system."

The United States has provided a large number of Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's Starlink communication terminals to Ukraine's military after the escalation of Russia's offensive in February 2022. Ukrainian forces have been actively using Starlink to coordinate their military operations and connect with aerial and naval drones that Kyiv has been using for attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia.

About The 'Starlink Killer'

The new state-of-the-art Kalinka monitoring system has been developed by Russia's Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies (CBST), according to a report by news agency Sputnik. 

Andrey Bezrukov, chairman of the CBST board, on Saturday, claimed Russian forces are currently testing the new system in Ukraine, which can detect aerial and maritime drones up to 15 kilometres away. 

He said the Kalinka system can help the Russian military to quickly detect and target Starlink terminals, as "the basic principles of radio signal transmission have not changed since the invention of the radio." This could reportedly enable the identification of unmanned boats and the so-called "Baba Yaga" drones, among other things.

Mr Bezrukov claimed that  Kalinka can even direct communication terminals from Starshield, a militarized version of Starlink. He explained that the new system's detection range is primarily determined by the terrain in the search area and by the use of other electronic systems by enemy forces. 

Regarding the time it would take to start the mass production of the Kalinka system, Mr Bezrukov said that it would depend on the demand from Russian forces operating in the conflict zone.

What Is Starlink?

SpaceX's Starlink is a satellite-based internet service that provides high-speed broadband internet access around the world. It operates by transporting data via light, similar to a fibre optic cable, using a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit to beam internet directly to users on the ground. 

The Starlink program aims to provide internet access to regions with limited telecommunications infrastructure and has proved instrumental for Ukrainian forces battered by the Russian offensive. Ukrainian military used the Starlink network to connect and fly drones to attack Russian forces. They also used it to send back videos to correct artillery fire and enable mobile networks with encrypted group chats connecting Ukrainian commanders to their soldiers on the battlefield.