"We cannot depend on what Musk uses", – known drone manufacturer Volodymyr Yatsenko called on Ministry of Defense to find alternative to Starlink. VIDEO
Ukraine must urgently diversify its satellite communication channels for the front lines to avoid critical dependence on the whims of SpaceX owner Elon Musk. According to Censor.NET, this was stated by renowned Ukrainian drone developer Volodymyr Yatsenko, commenting on the enemy's acquisition of Chinese equivalents of satellite internet.
According to the manufacturer, the situation where "all eggs are in one basket" is dangerous, especially given that China is deploying its own satellite group for the needs of the Russian Federation.
Key points from Volodymyr Yatsenko:
- The Chinese threat: Behind the enemy stands China, which is launching its own purely military analogue of Starlink. Russia will use this network for communication and drone control, which will negate the current advantage of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- The European alternative: Yatsenko called for attention to be paid to the OneWeb system. This is a European operator that has its own satellite constellation and could become a reliable backup option for the Ukrainian military.
- Dependence on one person: "We cannot depend on what the genius Musk does. Today he has one attitude towards Ukraine, tomorrow another. We need alternatives," the developer stressed.
Change in the Ministry of Defence's strategy:
Despite communication challenges, Yatsenko praised the work of the new Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, the ministry has begun to work strategically, placing orders for UAVs six months in advance.
"They call us and say - in six months we need such aircraft in such and such a quantity, do it, we are guaranteed to buy them. This is great. But I wanted it to be like this in all areas," Yatsenko said.
Context:
On 5 February, Mykhailo Fedorov announced the successful blocking of the "grey" Starlink terminals used by the occupiers. This caused real chaos in the Russian Federation's military command system, allowing the Defence Forces to switch from defence to counteroffensive actions in certain areas of the front. However, the emergence of Chinese military communication systems may force Ukraine to look for new technological solutions.
