“Something incredible. The frequency hopping works very quickly” - Ukrainian Military Expert About the ATLAS Radio Module

To ensure the correct operation of the ATLAS system, and the preservation of soldiers' lives, ATLAS provides required training before drones are deployed by users. This includes a few days of study that include flights with the AtlasPRO where one can test all its features. Such training presents soldiers with plenty of new opportunities, and as a bonus, the drone returns unharmed to its home point.

During that test, the ATLAS team has worked with the Ukrainian Air Assault Brigades team. 

Over the course of training, young men who had recently returned from their hot posts in the regions of Eastern Ukraine were a little skeptical, yet interested at the same time in the anti-jamming possibilities of AtlasPRO.

Ukrainian defenders have lost many drones to the Russian Electronic Warfare complexes. According to the research of the ‘Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies’, Ukrainian defenders lose about 10,000 drones every month. Ukrainian soldiers tell us that there is really a hellish situation near Donbas.

So, given the situation, naturally the military wanted to test the AtlasPRO in battle with the Portable Electronic Warfare Complex named Trenches. They invited one of the most popular military experts among Ukrainian defenders. He asked that his name not be disclosed. 

Tests To Be Sure

It was a very hot sunny spring day. The defenders were preparing for the mission and discussing technical flight details with the ATLAS instructor in Ukraine. 

The ATLAS instructor said:

"We have a very good opportunity today, because we are able to test the drone on jamming by the Electronic Warfare (EW) complex. This is a real plus both for us as manufacturers and you the military as well, to be sure that during the fight the UAV doesn’t let you down.”

The military EW expert with the Portable Electronic Warfare Complex was located 1 km (~0,7 mile) from them. 

At the beginning of the test, all participants heard the siren warning notification from their mobile apps. This sound informs all Ukrainians about approaching Russian attacks in their region. 

But, fortunately for us that day, instead of rockets we detected only the hum of a tractor at work preparing the ground for sowing, the notification didn’t even drown out the sound of it.

The blazing sun brought very high temperatures that day. However, no matter the external factors, such as the weather condition, nothing prevented the AtlasPRO from completing its mission.

“Is the EW really turned on?”

“Ready to start!” - said the ATLAS instructor.

A Ukrainian soldier named Artem D., call sign Scope, took the AtlasSTATION PRO and launched the bird into the sky.

The ATLAS instructor:

“Radio communication is in the green zone. We are flying.”

The pilot:

“Is EW turned on? Yeah? I see the EW complex.”

Then came the moment of truth - the Ukrainian Air Assault Brigade with AtlasPRO against the portable Electronic Warfare Complex. 

The EW expert’s assistant (radioing) to the military expert:

“We are above you.”

The military expert:

“What is happening with the connection?”

The EW expert’s assistant (radioing) to the military expert:

“The connection is OK. The guys are asking ‘Is the EW really turned on?’”

All the participants of the test laughed. The AtlasPRO had won the battle and resisted jamming. The EW never had a chance.

Smart Hopping

The pilot Artem D. (call sign “Scope”) said:

“Jamming was happening, we felt it, it was really close but it didn’t jam on all GPS channels. This EW isn’t an ordinary complex. It is an assembled EW called ‘Trenches’. Russians usually use such complexes. This is all they can buy in China. All modules are Chinese, and the hardware is Chinese but simply assembled and very, very powerful.”

The smart SDR module of AtlasPRO independently determines where the enemy’s warfare complex is located, scans frequencies to detect the jamming range, and jumps to free frequencies automatically.‍

The Ukrainian military expert commented on this test:

“It’s looking like an absolutely fantastic drone … I’ve had experience with many types of drones, but this is something incredible - because frequency hopping is really very, very quick. The frequency hopping works very quickly.”

ATLAS regularly tests and flies AtlasPRO together with military personnel in Ukraine to improve the device and develop new features.

The challenge had been met.