(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Iran has reportedly been supplied with the long-range electronic warfare system “Murmansk-BN” by Russia to counter potential large-scale attacks by Israel and the United States.
Reports indicate that Iran has installed this system in several parts of the country amid escalating tensions with Israel following the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Tehran has threatened to launch a massive attack on Israel at any moment, while Israel has warned of retaliatory measures against any attacks targeted at it.
The report about Iran’s deployment of the “Murmansk-BN” system emerged after Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) observations noted continuous flights of Russian transport aircraft between Russia and Iran recently.
These Russian IL-76 transport planes are alleged to be carrying various unknown types of weapon systems.
The OSINT reports are based on flight tracking applications such as Flight Radar, which monitor the continuous flights of Russian cargo planes previously suspected of transporting weapons.
The “Murmansk-BN” system is regarded as the most powerful EW (Electronic Warfare) system in the Russian military.
Other Russian electronic warfare systems include “Krasukha” and “Divnomorye,” which are used to disrupt satellite communications, GPS signals, and drone communications.
The “Murmansk-BN” system is considered the most powerful because it can jam and intercept enemy radio signals, GPS, communications, satellites, and other electronic systems up to 5,000 kilometers away.
Its primary purpose is to disrupt high-frequency satellite communication systems owned by the United States and NATO.
Additionally, it can render “smart” munitions and drone systems “blind and deaf.”
Some defense analysts suggest the operational range of the Murmansk-BN system is not 5,000 km but up to 8,000 km.
This Russian electronic warfare system is not only capable of jamming enemy radio and communication signals but is also used to intercept the radio capabilities of adversaries.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reportedly relocated the “Murmansk-BN” EW system to its Arctic base near the Finnish border.
Moscow has not disclosed the reasons behind this relocation, but many speculate it is related to the military tensions between Moscow and NATO member countries.
From its Arctic base near Finland, the Murmansk-BN system can disrupt radio and communication systems across Europe, which is a significant concern for NATO and the United States.
Moscow conducted tests of this system in 2019, and Norway, located nearby, detected interference with its radio systems, likely due to the Murmansk-BN system’s frequencies.
Norway lodged a protest against Russia for the radio and communication disruptions caused by these electronic warfare system tests.
The Scandinavian country fears that if its communication and radio systems are crippled, it could threaten its national security. Imagine, aircraft without radio, electronic, and satellite systems would be unable to communicate with ground stations and others.
In other words, these smart assets would be rendered “blind, mute, and deaf.” – DSA