Ukraine conflict: Ukraine develops jam-resistant radio

The Himera G1 handheld jam-resistant radio displayed at the Inscience Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, in June 2023. The radios dimensions are 60×120×20 mm. (Julia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A handheld radio developed by Ukraine-based Himera Tech and operational with the Ukrainian armed forces has proven highly resistant to Russia's electronic warfare (EW) systems, Janes has learnt.

Known as Himera G1, the handheld ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio has been designed to fill a capability gap at the squad-level for an affordable tactical communications system that is resistant to jamming and has a low probability of detection, Misha Rudominski, co-founder of Himera Tech told Janes on 13 October.

Development of the radio was primarily driven by the need to overcome shortcomings with the Motorola radios widely deployed by the Ukrainian armed forces, which are not suited for military purposes, Rudominski added.

Along with employing encrypted frequency-hopping techniques to enhance the radio's resistance to interference, Himera works with low radiated power (25× less than Motorola systems) to reduce the probability of detection, he said. As a result, the radio is more discreet than advanced systems such as those from Motorola and L3Harris, which use significantly more power, he added

For example, Russia can detect Motorola radios from up to 50 km away, while this is less for L3Harris systems, the distance is still significant. Soldiers are therefore hesitant to use these advanced radios near the front line for fear of being shelled, he said.