Ukraine is fighting a relentless missile war, but instead of firing more interceptors, it’s turning to something far smarter. Meet Lima: the Ukrainian electronic warfare system capable of jamming and spoofing Russian missiles, sending even hypersonic weapons spiraling off-course into empty fields. Cheap, autonomous, and devastatingly effective, Lima is transforming modern air defense and saving Ukraine millions in the process. But Russia is adapting too, triggering an endless technological battle where innovation may decide the outcome of the war.
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow
SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/DfsRxV0n
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow
SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/DfsRxV0n
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00The years now, Ukraine has had to deal with constant Russian bombardment as enemy drones
00:05and missiles rain down on its towns, cities and infrastructure. Some of those missiles have the
00:11power to level entire buildings in an instant, killing dozens and wounding many more. So it's
00:17vital that Ukraine intercepts and eliminates as many as it possibly can. But there's one big
00:22problem. Even with aid from its Western allies, Ukraine only has a certain number of interceptor
00:27missiles. Fortunately, Kiev's forces have yet again proven their remarkable resourcefulness and
00:33ability to adapt and innovate under pressure, coming up with a truly genius way to bring down
00:38Russian missiles without having to fire a single shot of their own. Introducing the Lima, a
00:45domestically developed electronic warfare or EW system, capable of disrupting even Russia's most
00:51powerful drones and missiles, sending them spiraling hopelessly off course. So instead of striking their
00:56intended targets, they often end up landing in empty fields. It does this primarily by generating
01:02powerful jamming fields that essentially disrupt the missile's satellite navigation systems.
01:06If the missiles have no navigation, they're far less likely to reach their destinations and hit
01:11their targets with their usual high levels of precision. They can still continue to fly,
01:16relying on the inertial navigation systems to assist them, but their accuracy takes a big hit.
01:21To be more precise, they can veer around 2 kilometers or 1.2 miles off target for every 100 kilometers
01:28or
01:2862 miles traveled. But that's not all this system is capable of. In fact, there's much more to the
01:34Lima than meets the eye, with some military experts classifying it among the most technically impressive
01:39EW systems ever invented. It was created by a company called Cascade Systems, which started off as just
01:46another Ukrainian defense sector startup, but has gone on to become one of the major players in this war,
01:52providing the country with an invaluable and irreplaceable piece of its increasingly complex
01:56air defense network. A representative from Cascade Systems who also serves as a commander in the Night
02:02Watch, one of Ukraine's leading electronic warfare units, and goes by the nickname Alchemist,
02:07recently sat down with Politico to share fresh details about how the system works
02:12and why it's proven to be so effective. When Lima is on, it makes missile deviation even greater.
02:18In addition to simply suppressing navigation, we use spoofing and the substitution of coordinates
02:22by several kilometers. We can make their missiles fall in fields instead of hitting their targets.
02:27Here's a deeper explanation of how it actually works. Lima doesn't just block satellite signals so
02:32missiles and drones don't know where they're going. It can actually emit spoofed or fake signals,
02:37effectively feeding false information directly into enemy weapons.
02:41According to Lima's developers, they've successfully managed to divert Russian attacks by making the
02:46enemy's missiles think that they are in Peru. With completely confusing coordinates embedded in
02:51their guidance systems, the missiles veer wildly off track and have almost zero chance of hitting the
02:56target. It's important to remember too that these are expensive assets. Even though Russia has a
03:01reasonable amount of missiles to maintain the pressure of its attacks, it doesn't like seeing these
03:06kinds of munitions go to waste. A Kinzhal hypersonic missile, for example, costs around $10 million per
03:12unit. That's a huge amount of money to simply throw into an empty field. Every time Lima helps to bring
03:18down one of these costly munitions, it represents a serious financial loss for the enemy. And the
03:23system's extraordinary abilities don't end there.
03:26During the Politico interview, Alchemist also revealed that Lima has the power to create
03:31invisible, but incredibly effective, dead zones around key areas like towns and cities.
03:37If enemy-enemy drones or missiles enter those zones, they immediately lose their guidance signals
03:42and have no way of knowing where they're going or how to reach their intended targets.
03:46This obviously requires the use of multiple Lima systems, since each one has a limited range.
03:52But by combining the system's powers and placing them in the right areas,
03:55Ukraine's forces can easily protect the places that matter the most. As Alchemist explains,
04:01when we create a wide enough zone, protected by Lima stations, a missile won't even hit the city,
04:07we will send it into an open field. The beneficial implications of this technology are extraordinary.
04:13Let's say, for example, that Ukraine wants to protect a particular town, piece of infrastructure,
04:18like a substation or water treatment facility, or some other site of strategic importance from
04:22Russian drones and missile attacks. In the past, the only option it would have had would be to set up
04:27expensive air defense batteries around that area, and hope that there were enough of them to deal
04:32with any incoming threats. Even then, there would always be concerns about batteries running out of
04:36interceptors or huge swarms and salvos saturating the systems, allowing some to pass through and deal
04:42vast amounts of damage. Plus, there would have to be entire teams of operators in place at all times,
04:47scanning radar screens and helping to repel enemy attacks.
04:51With Lima dead zones, however, all Ukraine's military has to do is place these systems in
04:55the correct locations, sit back, and watch as the EW technology nullifies any aerial threats that get
05:01too close. It's easy, autonomous, and extraordinarily efficient, and it's getting better all the time.
05:08In the past, for example, the Lima was highly effective against most Russian drones and some
05:13missiles, but struggled against some of the more heavy-duty munitions in the enemy's arsenal,
05:17like glide bombs. These bombs, which are little more than standard bombs fitted with special
05:22winglets to help them travel further distances after launch, were always harder to counter,
05:27since Russia almost exclusively uses them in frontline locations. The front lines are fluid,
05:32and territorial control is often shifting back and forth, so it was almost impossible for Ukraine
05:37to install its Lima systems in the correct areas to create glide bomb dead zones. There was always a
05:42risk that Russian forces would move in, spot the systems, and take them out. To make matters worse,
05:48Russia also developed anti-jamming antennas that it attached to its glide bombs, allowing them to
05:52bypass most EW systems without being disrupted or missing their targets. Fortunately, Lima's developers
05:58didn't let up. They worked tirelessly day in, day out to improve their technology and find ways to
06:04make it more powerful, effective, and impactful. It took time, but eventually, they found out how to
06:10overcome the Russians' anti-jammers. Soon after that, Lima began diverting glide bombs,
06:16massively reducing their accuracy and the consistency with which they were able to strike
06:20their intended targets. As Maxim Skoretsky, head of the EW Department of the Land Forces of Ukraine,
06:26explains, it doesn't take much to nullify these weapons' capabilities.
06:30Even if the glide bomb deviates from its target for about 20 meters,
06:33it already means the target will continue to exist, said Skoretsky.
06:36Again, this is so vital. While Russia largely relies on drones and missiles to strike places
06:42in Ukraine that are dozens of miles behind the front lines, it has carried out countless
06:46bombing runs along the front-line locations like fortified settlements, contested villages,
06:51and supply routes that help to feed Kiev's brigades. These bombs are relatively cheap,
06:56precise, and easy to use. Russia can launch them from relatively far inside its own regions or
07:01occupied territories, typically using high-speed fighter jets, which are very difficult for Ukraine
07:06to intercept or disrupt in any way, as they can quickly release their bombs and retreat to
07:11safer locations. From there, the bombs glide toward their targets, using antennas to evade
07:16conventional EW technologies and remain on course for their targets. And many of them carry quite
07:21weighty warheads, often tipping the scales at 500 kilograms or 1,100 pounds, or even significantly
07:27more. This allows them to deal massive damage on impact, obliterating bunkers, fortifications,
07:33trenches, and troop concentrations. Even if they are slightly off target, the impact of the shockwave
07:38can still be enough to deal serious damage and injuries to anyone in the area. However,
07:43thanks to the Lima, Ukraine can't completely counter the glide bomb threat, but it can significantly
07:48reduce it. That, in turn, should result in fewer losses on the front lines, while also making it much
07:54harder for Russia to penetrate the Ukrainian defensive lines and push on to make the territorial gains it
07:59needs to succeed. The Lima isn't perfect, however. Before we dig into some of the downsides and how
08:05Ukraine is addressing them, you are watching The Military Show. And if you haven't subscribed yet,
08:10now's the time.
08:13While the Lima's technical capacities are impressive, it's not a panacea for Ukraine's air defense
08:18problems. There are issues with relying too much on a system like this. The biggest of those issues is
08:23the fact that even if they've had their signals and guidance systems disrupted, jammed Russian drones,
08:28missiles, and bombs still need to fall somewhere and can still deal damage as a result. Missiles
08:34might miss their original targets by a few miles, but still end up spiraling into another building,
08:39for example. Drones can fall out of the air but land on houses and vehicles, and even bombs that
08:45land in farmers' fields can still generate enough force to damage local power lines. This is where
08:50conventional air defenses have the advantage. When you fire an interceptor missile at an incoming drone
08:55or missile, it usually blows up in the air. Some debris may still rain down onto buildings below,
09:01but it's usually in such small pieces that it doesn't deal anywhere near as much damage as if
09:05the whole missile had fallen instead. This is why Ukraine has to find the right balance between using
09:10EW systems like Lima while also making good use of the more conventional air defense batteries they've
09:15developed themselves and been given by Western allies. It can't rely too much on one system or the
09:21other, as both have their drawbacks and limitations. Conventional defenses, for example, are limited
09:27in terms of the actual number of targets they can counter in any given time, as well as the number
09:32of interceptors they can fire. Indeed, one of the big problems that Ukraine has faced over the course
09:36of the conflict so far is having to make deal with limited stockpiles of interceptors for its most
09:41powerful defensive systems, like the Patriot. Even though the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
09:46recently described the latest generation Patriot PAK-3 missile as the most effective interceptor
09:51for dealing with Russia's high-end missiles, the country has had to cope with relatively small
09:56amounts of these interceptors. So it can't simply fire them as and when it wants, it has to pick and
10:01choose its targets with care. What's more, interceptors are often incredibly expensive. A single PAK-3,
10:07for example, costs between four and six million dollars. So there has to be a logical economic trade-off
10:13when using such an expensive asset. Ukraine doesn't want to fire a multi-million dollar
10:17missile at a $50,000 drone, for example. Instead, it logically prefers to save its interceptors to deal
10:23with the most dangerous and equally expensive enemy threats, like Kinsals or the new hypersonic
10:28Oreshnik. In the long term, Ukraine hopes it won't have to rely so extensively on defenses from the US.
10:34One of its top defense firms, Firepoint, is already hard at work on a brand new air defense system
10:39called Freya, which is said to be a low-cost alternative to the Patriot. Firepoint's co-owner
10:45Denis Stielemann revealed that the system, which is being co-developed by teams from Ukraine,
10:49Germany, France, and Norway, is currently in the testing phase and should be able to intercept
10:54ballistic missiles. It should also be able to integrate into Ukraine's existing air and missile
10:59defense network, in accordance with NATO's Link-16 protocol. And Stielemann says that if all goes well,
11:05the first systems could roll out by the end of the year. But Ukraine can't afford to sit around
11:10and wait until then. It needs ways to deal with Russian missiles here and now, especially as the
11:15enemy has been intensifying its long-range strikes on towns and cities all over Ukraine, including
11:20Kyiv. The Ukrainian defense forces have had to figure out alternative and more economical methods
11:25to bring down the enemy's drones and missiles. Lima has made that possible. It gives Ukraine the power
11:31to keep some of its interceptors in reserve for more important moments, without putting
11:35the country's civilians and infrastructure at needless additional risk. It is also an incredibly
11:40affordable system, especially when compared to the high price tags attached to Patriots and
11:44similar defenses. Cascade Systems revealed that a single unit costs around 58,000 euros
11:50to produce, though the price may vary slightly depending on the iteration.
11:55To protect an entire city, the company estimates around 30 to 100 units are required. Even if we
12:02take the higher end of that scale, 100 units would work out at around $6,750,000, which is less
12:08than
12:08the price tag of two Pac-3 missiles. And while missiles are one-and-done weapons, Lima just keeps
12:14on running for as long as necessary, with a single beam able to take out dozens or even hundreds of
12:19threats completely passively. Indeed, in late April, reports revealed that the Lima had successfully
12:25neutralized 26 Kinzaal missiles during the first three months of 2026 alone, as well over 10,000
12:31drones. Since it was first put into operation, it has reportedly taken out 58 Kinzaals in total,
12:37along with thousands of other assets, and boasts an astonishing 98% success rate, making it by far
12:43one of the most reliable layers in the Ukrainian air defense network. It took a long time and a lot
12:48of
12:48hard work to reach this point. The developers told Politico that the earliest versions of Lima made their
12:54debut back in 2022, the opening year of the invasion, to help Ukraine's forces fend off
12:59Russian cruise missile strikes, but they were nowhere near as effective as they are today.
13:03The technology simply wasn't strong enough to deal with the sheer quantity of Russian threats and the
13:08technologies at the Kremlin's disposal. The Ukrainian government was doubtful that the system would ever
13:13be good enough. Still, Cascade's systems didn't give up. They put years of work into Lima, as well as
13:18over $2 million of their own funding to improve the technology and build it up to what they've
13:23always believed it could become. It paid off. The company has so far supplied over 400 Lima systems
13:29to the Ukrainian military, which started using them in July 2024. In October 2025, Ukraine began using
13:35Lima's to defend civilian infrastructure, and soon after that, Cascade received its first state contracts.
13:42Its systems are making a real difference on the battlefield and across Ukraine today,
13:46saving countless lives and causing billions of dollars' worth of Russian hardware to go to waste.
13:51But the fight isn't over yet. The EW world is always evolving. When one side's engineers create
13:57a new jammer or disruptor, the other side's engineers get to work on ways to bypass it,
14:02and so on and so forth. It's an endless cycle, and one that we've seen play out throughout the war
14:06so far.
14:07When Ukraine first figured out how to use EW to disrupt enemy drones, for example,
14:12Russia started attaching special antennas to its UAVs to help them bypass the jammers.
14:17In response, Ukraine improved its technology. But Russia went further still. Both sides have been
14:22locked in an endless battle, always trying to one-up one another. And in early 2025, it looked like Russia
14:28had won. It deployed upgraded anti-jamming Cometa antennas that effectively made all of Ukraine's
14:33existing EW systems, including the earlier versions of Lima, obsolete. As Alchemist explains,
14:39that's when real life started. We were living in our lab, trying to crack the new Russian antennas.
14:44It took three months, but Lima's engineers figured it out in the end.
14:48They launched a new and improved version of their hardware, Lima Quant, which was specially
14:53designed to deal with Russia's latest EW defenses. Of course, it's perfectly possible, and even probable,
14:58that Russia will figure out another way to level up its drone and missile navigation systems in the
15:03weeks and months to come. But Cascade Systems will be ready to rise to the challenge all over again.
15:08We constantly change Lima based on characteristics of Russian weapons, analyze hits, and provide
15:13recommendations to the general staff on where to put it and how. War evolves all the time.
15:19Fortunately, Lima is also evolving all the time. According to Skoretsky, the latest versions are
15:25even able to suppress Russia's speediest and most long-range threats, including ballistic missiles,
15:31which rely on the GLONASS satellite navigation system to find their targets.
15:34This, in turn, means that the Kremlin's commanders have fewer and fewer options at their disposal
15:39if they actually want their salvos to succeed. The vast majority of their drones are falling from
15:45the sky like flies. Their high-speed kinzals are being countered. And now, even their most expensive
15:51aerial assets can be picked off and sent spiraling into fields or abandoned settlements,
15:56dealing no critical damage in the process.
15:58Slowly but surely, Russia's threat level is declining. You can learn more about how this
16:03is happening and how Ukraine is taking advantage of Russia's ongoing collapse in this video.
16:08Or for something completely different, check out this video to see how Kiev's forces have started
16:13to use so-called slaughterbot drones to track down Russian troops in the field, lock onto their faces,
16:19and blow them away in the blink of an eye. Make sure to subscribe to the channel, too,
16:23for more videos just like this and more insightful analysis of the Russia-Ukraine war and other
16:28major conflicts worldwide. And thank you, as always, for watching.
Comments