With the alleged discovery of a self-protection jamming system RTU 518-PSM during the war, another state-of-the-art Russian weapon has ended up in Ukrainian hands.
This system is part of the advanced Khibiny-U electronic warfare suite used in the Su-30SM Flanker-Hwith serial number RF-81773 and bort number Red 62.
The pod was discovered as Ukrainian forces continued to advance east and south as part of his counteroffensive. The discovery could be very valuable for Ukraine and its allies to understand the Russian electronic warfare operations.
On September 12, images from the front of the capsule went viral on social media. It was found among the wreckage of a Russian Su-30SM that had been shot down earlier in the conflict in the north of the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
Self-Protection Interference Pod RTU 518-PSM
Guy Plopsky, defense analyst, noted that “it is a 518-PSM starboard pod. It is likely a transmitting (i.e. jamming) pod, while the port wingtip pod (designated 518-LSM1) is likely a receiving pod. The two detachable pods are part of the SAP 518-SM active ECM system, which is part of the Su-30SM’s KS REP ECM suite.”
According to a 2021 paper from the Kaluga Radioengineering Scientific Research Institute, the RTU 518-PSM is a component of the Khibiny-U assembly, which is mounted on the Russian aircraft Su-30SM.
The SAP 518-SM, sometimes known as the “complex” in Russian, comprises the internal KS REP system and two RTU 518-PSM and RTU 518-LSM1 pods at the right and left wingtips, respectively, of the aircraft.
While the RTU 518-PSM is believed to have an active jamming system, the RTU 518-LSM1 is a passive receiver that looks for threatening emissions from the electromagnetic spectrum, such as those from adversary radars.
The SAP 518-SM subsystem, also known as Regata, is supposedly capable of detecting, jamming, and confusing adversary radars, including seekers for incoming radar-guided missiles.
To do this, digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) technology is used to create fictitious emissions that hide the real aircraft.
The internal KS REP subsystem is optimized against high-band threats. The SAP 518-SM subsystem seems to be oriented towards defense against mid-band threats, providing the set with a more complete range of capabilities.
On the center line, the Su-30SM can carry an additional module known as SAP-14which offers escort jamming capability for larger aircraft groups.
It is unclear whether SAP-14 is a component of Khibiny-U or not, although it can definitely be used in conjunction with other aspects of that system.
Intelligence for the Ukrainians and their allies?
In 2013, the Russian Defense Ministry initially contracted KNIRTI, the manufacturer of the capsule, to develop the new electronic warfare system for the Su-30SM. A year later, the Khibiny-10V was launched, the first iteration of that system to reach operational service on any platform.
In 2018, Russian SU-30SMs were first seen with Khibiny-U. Since the pod appears to be in good shape, it could be an important intelligence resource for USA and its partners to counter Russian weaponry.
The components of the pod, such as the computer chips and other electronic components used, as well as any other part of the related electronic warfare complex, may also contain valuable industrial intelligence.
Foreign intelligence services have benefited significantly from the war in ukraine, especially when it comes to Russia’s more sophisticated air defense and electronic warfare capabilities. Many of the captured systems may already have been flown overseas for further investigation and evaluation.
The remains of a Su-35S that crashed near Izium in April, before the russian forces took control of the area, they were reported as valuable intelligence assets for Western countries.
In the latter case, the potential intelligence discovery could be significantly higher depending on the state of other elements of the crashed plane’s electronic warfare suite. In addition to the hardware, Ukrainian intelligence agents and their foreign allies may gather additional information.
Ukraine is believed to have been a major supplier of Soviet-designed equipment to the US military’s so-called foreign materiel exploitation company (FME) even before the current conflict, including fighter jets and radar.