In a major development, Russia has reportedly developed a new state-of-the-art system that can detect and counter the signals from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The news will come as a major concern for the US and Elon Musk as this will also act as a major deterrence to counter Ukraine which had been backed by the Starlink tech.

The Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on Starlink to direct aerial and sea drones to strike key Russian targets since the Russia-Ukraine war erupted in early 2022, but Moscow may soon nullify this technological advantage as it has reportedly developed what is being dubbed as a “Starlink killer”.

However, this technological advantage had been monitored by Moscow, which has been working on countermeasures to mitigate the effectiveness of Starlink communications. According to the state news agency TASS, Russia’s Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies (CBST) has developed a system called the Kalinka monitoring system. The Kalinka system is specifically designed to locate, detect, and disrupt signals emanating from Starlink terminals, that have been supplied to Ukraine by Elon Musk-led Starlink.

The “Starlink Killer” system

The newly developed Russian system is currently undergoing combat tests and would enable the identification of unmanned boats as well as the devastating Ukrainian “Baba Yaga” drones, among other things.

Andrei Bezrukov, chairman of the board of the Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies, pointed out that before the introduction of Kalinka, unmanned boats were tracked visually.

Now, through collaboration with the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies” (ANO “CBST”), the system can pinpoint Starlink-linked drones and boats and would allow Russian forces to target them at a distance of up to 15 kilometers.

Kalinka apparently has the capability of detecting both moving and stationary Starlink communication nodes. It is also being integrated into various platforms, including jet skis, boats, and helicopters. Additionally, the technology can be used to locate Starlink communication terminals deployed on the ground within conflict zones. The Kalinka system has already entered small-scale production.

Concerns over Starlink

The impact of Starlink on the current Russia-Ukraine war, has raised concerns for China as the SpaceX-made satellite system poses crucial security threats to Beijing. China is closely monitoring and scrutinizing the capabilities and weaknesses of the Starlink system, and some researchers have even proposed to disable the satellites if Beijing’s national security is threatened.

The Starlink system has proven highly-resilient to jamming, which is a major cause of concern for Chinese security agencies. Additionally, China is worried that Starlink could potentially hinder a future Chinese military operations. Chinese analysts believe that Starlink is either US Department of Defense asset or heavily funded by the Pentagon for military use under the garb of commercial use. They assert that Starlink is closely intertwined with US defense interests, a perception which gained credence after SpaceX was given a Pentagon contract to develop, Starshield, a defense-oriented adaptation of Starlink. Starshield is planned to support US government operations, including global communications and surveillance.

The concerns for China and Russia are not unfounded, as now Elon Musk has been announced as an active part of the new look Trump regime, due to take charge in January. Musk will be heading the DOGE ministry while he has also been funding and backing the Presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Musk will be an active part of the US state and his Starlink project is expected to be intertwined with US state defence projects. This will mark a dangerous precedent where US entrepreneurs openly collaborate with the state, raising alarm bells for countries giving access to the US tech.

Starlink is a great access technology, but its has the potential to be used as a powerful defence system capable of neutralizing enemy capabilities considerably, as seen in the current Russia-Ukraine war, it has given a marked edge to the Ukraine forces to target Russian assets. Now the Russian state has resorted to countering the tech with its own Starlink killer. The repercussions and the impact of the clash between Starlink and Kalinka will be one to watch.