Russia will lose even more equipment: experts explained why the Gekata complex is needed by the APU

By the end of 2023, Ukrainian specialists must complete all the necessary tests of the new domestic intelligence complex Gekata. The Defense Express publication explained why the Ukrainian army so needed him and what role he should play in the fight against Russia.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have proven many times that they can destroy the invaders by hitting deep targets in the rear. For example, video confirmation has appeared recently that the Russian S-3008 anti-aircraft missile system was defeated by the HIMARS system at a distance of about 70 km from the front line.

Such long-range attacks are possible thanks to high-quality intelligence, and in order for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to hit expensive Russian equipment more often, they need more diverse means that can find equipment and weapons systems. Gekata must perform precisely such tasks.

The complex is able to detect and analyze signals received from various enemy systems, such as radar stations, electronic warfare and air defense systems, as well as aircraft. The director of NPC Infozashchita is behind the development of the system, he told Defense Express, the company is building a database of signals from Russian equipment so that the military can use it immediately when they get Gekata.

The Gekata complex consists of six Ukrainian PD-2 aircraft manufactured by Ukrspecsystems, equipped with a special container with electronic intelligence equipment and a ground control station. A complete set will allow viewing of a 100 km prequel.

At the same time, the scanning range is 450 km, which allows unmanned aerial vehicles to receive Russian signals on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, and remain inaccessible to Russian air defense systems. For example, a drone with equipment can fly 200 km to the front line, and Gekata will still “see” behind the enemy at a depth of 250 km. RTR equipment itself does not emit any signals, so it remains invisible in the electronic spectrum.

The technology will allow the Armed Forces to simultaneously monitor up to 200 targets, plus data, transmit data in real time or store it on internal media to keep the radio silent. Only one operator can control the operation of such a complex, compared to ground-based RTR complexes, the system consumes much less electricity, and at the same time it is very mobile and can quickly get ready for operation.

Performance characteristics of the Gekata complex:

• operating frequency range – 2-18 GHz (in the basic configuration);
• receiver type – superheterodyne;
• real-time instant review bandwidth – 800 MHz;
• the number of independent channels at the hardware level – 2;
• the bandwidth of the instant review of a channel is 400 MHz;
• single-signal dynamic range – more than 72 dB;
• azimuth strip – 360°;
• the number of tracked targets – up to 200 moving;
• coordinate determination method – TDOA + AOA.

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian army has long and successfully used PD-2 unmanned aerial vehicles, including the VTOL version (vertical take-off and landing), which allows the launch of vehicles from almost anywhere without a runway. This is a modification of the PD-1 (People’s Drone) drone, produced for the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2020, with increased payload, communication range, flight time and other improvements. Serial production of the PD-2 began in 2022.

Main features of Drone PD-2:

• wingspan – 5 m;
• maximum take-off weight – 55 kg;
• maximum load – 19 kg (VTOL – 11 kg);
• maximum speed – 140 km / h;
• cruising speed – 100 km / h;
• maximum altitude – 4700 m;
• communication range – more than 200 km.

Recently, the company Infozashchita announced the final tests of the Gekata complex. The system is based on a container with equipment weighing 10 kg attached to the drone. If all tests are successful, the Ukrainian army will be able to use the Gekata in real combat.