The Ukrainian Air Force is using Starlink satellite terminals on its tactical aircraft to maintain communications, a military spokesman confirmed.
Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, revealed the deployment of the American satellite system during an interview with the Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine.
The communication terminals are installed on helicopters deployed to intercept incoming unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the air force, Starlink provides constant communication between flight crews and ground control stations during these interception missions.
Ihnat said that Starlink enables tactical aviation aircraft to maintain reliable communications and high-speed satellite internet while operating in the air. However, the spokesman declined to reveal technical details about how Ukrainian aviation integrates and operates the American equipment.
Satellite Communications in Military Aviation
Starlink, operated by the American aerospace company SpaceX, is a satellite internet constellation that uses thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit. The network provides broadband connections to ground stations and mobile receivers across the globe, allowing military and civilian users to communicate in areas where landline cables and mobile phone networks are damaged or absent.
Ukrainian tactical aviation units, which include fighter jets and combat helicopters, have increasingly operated against waves of long-range attack drones. Using helicopters to track and shoot down low-flying drones requires continuous updates from radar operators, making real-time data links between pilots and ground command centers critical for successful intercepts.
Russian Countermeasures and Drone Operations
The disclosure comes after Russian defense specialists reported that Ukrainian forces had integrated Starlink hardware into other types of airborne weaponry.
In October, Dmitry Kuzyakin, general designer of Russia's Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, reported that Kyiv was using Starlink terminals inside American Hornet kamikaze drones. The research center investigates captured unmanned aerial systems and develops combat drone strategies. Kuzyakin stated that Ukrainian forces used the satellite connection to collect and transmit visual information during flights.
Russian defense developers are now working on technologies to counteract the satellite-guided systems. In October, it emerged that the company NPP and the Advanced Research Foundation are developing an electronic warfare system named Yastreb-S.
The Yastreb-S platform is designed to shield installations from drone attacks by neutralizing unmanned aircraft equipped with Starlink technology. Electronic warfare systems emit targeted radio interference to disrupt satellite links, and the Advanced Research Foundation, a state body that oversees advanced Russian military technology projects, is steering the initiative to protect sites against satellite-directed air incursions.
