In 2025, Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems have shown growing effectiveness against russia's Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. A source in the General Staff told Suspilne that the missile's high speed, once considered its advantage, has turned into a vulnerability, making it increasingly susceptible to jamming. As a result, russian strikes with this weapon are missing their intended targets more frequently.
The source explained that the faster a missile travels, the harder it becomes for its navigation systems to determine accurate coordinates. This creates opportunities for Ukrainian EW units to disrupt its guidance. With the expansion of Ukraine's EW capabilities in 2025, the level of successful interference against the Kinzhal missiles has risen significantly.
Read more: russia Produces 1,000 Iskander, Kinzhal Missiles Annually, Europe Can Intercept Only 300 – How the West Should Respond?
While this development strengthens Ukraine's defenses, it has also inflicted massive financial losses on russia. According to the General Staff, Moscow has already spent at least $1.5 billion trying to counter Ukraine's EW measures. A large part of this sum is linked to the widespread installation of CRPA (controlled radiation pattern antenna) systems on russian munitions.
These specialized antennas are designed to resist jamming and are now routinely fitted on both guided aerial bombs and the Shahed-type attack drones. Each CRPA unit costs between $10,000 and $17,000. With russia having launched around 8,000 guided bombs and some 40,000 Shahed drones, the total expenditure on these modules alone has reached staggering levels.
Moreover, the sophistication of russian counter-EW technology has been steadily increasing. Initially, their systems relied on four-element CRPA receivers. Over time, however, the designs evolved into more advanced 8-element and even 16-element antenna arrays, further driving up costs.
Despite these efforts, the effectiveness of Ukrainian EW has not diminished. Instead, the increasing reliance on costly countermeasures highlights a growing strain on russia's defense budget. The fact that supposedly "invulnerable" missiles like the Kinzhal are now vulnerable to jamming underscores a broader shift in the technological balance.
For Ukraine, these developments not only enhance protection against high-profile missile threats but also demonstrate the strategic value of investing in electronic warfare. For russia, they represent a costly and increasingly inefficient arms race, one in which billions are being spent to maintain an edge that continues to erode.
The duel between EW and counter-EW has thus become one of the defining aspects of the war, where every successful jamming operation carries both tactical and economic consequences for the enemy.
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