Drones are not a uniform threat: a one-way attack drone, a loitering munition, an ISR aircraft, an FPV kamikaze and a commercial quadcopter each call for a different detect-and-defeat approach. The reference below links the five classes to their altitude band and to the EW points of attack from this chapter.
| Class (example) | Role | Altitude band | Range / speed | EW point of attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahed-136 / Geran-2 | One-way attack (cruising) | 60–4,000 m | ~1,500 km · ~180 km/h | GNSS spoofing/jamming (GNSS and navigation warfare); kinetic late in the dive |
| Lancet-1/-3 | Loitering munition | 60–3,000 m | 40–66 km · dive up to 300 km/h | Jam/destroy the Orlan spotter; C2 link (The two links to attack) |
| Orlan-10 | ISR / target designation / relay | 500–5,000 m | ~120 km · ~150 km/h | Data-link jamming + DF on emissions (EW: Electronic Support Measures, Defeat methods) |
| FPV kamikaze | Short-range precision | 2–150 m | 5–15 km (RF) · 80–150 km/h | RF jamming of C2/video — but fibre-optic is immune (Lessons from Ukraine (open source)) |
| DJI Mavic (commercial) | Reconnaissance / spotting | 0–500 m | 5–10 km | OcuSync jamming at 2.4/5.8 GHz; GPS spoofing → RTH (GNSS and navigation warfare) |
The altitude band determines detection: FPV and DJI fly below most radar coverage (Detection first: C-UAS = detect + defeat), the Orlan too high for reliable visual detection. And the defeat option depends on the link: anything with a radio link is vulnerable to EW (The two links to attack), but fibre-optic FPV and autonomous terminal guidance escape it — leaving kinetic and physical means.
Summarised from a separate drone reference set (one card per class with an altitude diagram), based on open sources: CSIS, CNAS, ECFR, RUSI and the Ukrainian C-UAS handbook. See also the lessons in Lessons from Ukraine (open source) and the EW threat platforms in ARMs, EW jammers & platforms.
How the Russian side organises this same spectrum fight in doctrine — with the Volnorez counter-drone system and the Mi-8MTPR EW helicopter in the strike package, and the same fibre-optic FPV blind spot — is covered in AirDefense Academy § 6.9 (the tactical group / ГТН).