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Ukrainian drones use Israeli HiSKY terminals to bypass Russian EW

Bottom line

Russian and Ukrainian sources confirm Ukrainian long-range UAVs are equipped with Israeli HiSKY SmartLITE satellite terminals for telemetry and command, enabling stable control over Russian territory via commercial GEO satellites.

Why it matters

The reliance on commercial GEO/LEO hybrid terminals like HiSKY indicates a shift in Ukrainian long-range strike logistics, potentially offering a more resilient or cost-effective alternative to Starlink in specific theater geometries, while exposing new supply chain dependencies on Israeli satellite hardware.

Multiple sources confirm the operational deployment of Israeli HiSKY SmartLITE (SIRIUS 16X16 Ku) satellite terminals on Ukrainian long-range UAVs. Poisk.Mil and barantchik report that these terminals provide telemetry and command capabilities with a throughput of approximately 2000 kbit/s. While this throughput is lower than Starlink, it is deemed sufficient for stable control over Russian territory using commercial GEO satellites. The system utilizes capacity leased from Eutelsat (GEO) and OneWeb (LEO), with OneWeb’s low latency supporting precision strikes, though coverage is currently limited to border areas without inter-satellite links.

Pictures from the cited posts

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Evidence — 3 independent origins

  • Telegram channel, Russian side:Boris Rozhin (Colonel Cassad)source Corigin t.mearchive
    Original text (excerpt)

    Противник начал применять израильские спутниковые терминалы HiSKY SmartLITE (в частности, модификацию SIRIUS 16X16 Ku) на ударных БпЛА дальнего радиуса действия для атак вглубь территории РФ. Пропускная способность изделия уступает Starlink (до 2000 кбит/с в Ku-диапазоне), но это

  • Telegram channel, Russian side:Беспилотники (дроны, БПЛА, UAV)source Borigin t.me
    Original text (excerpt)

    Как израильские терминалы HiSKY превратили украинские дроны в «умный рой» над Россией. По данным наших высокопоставленных источников, серия недавних разрушительных налетов на НПЗ в Кстово, Самаре и Ярославле вскрыла опаснейшую тактическую аномалию: вместо ударов по одной-двум уст

  • Telegram channel, Russian side:barantchiksource Corigin t.mearchive
    Original text (excerpt)

    ВСУ применяют израильские терминалы HiSKY SmartLITE для ударов по России Для нанесения ударов по российской территории украинские военные задействовали спутниковые терминалы HiSKY SmartLITE израильского производства. По пропускной способности эти устройства уступают Starlink, одн

NamedHiSKY SmartLightHiSKY SmartLITESIRIUS 16X16 KuStarlinkIntelsatSESEutelsatSpacecomAMOSHughesOneWebTopicsdronescomponentselectronic warfarechina

Related findings

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History · version 2 · first published · last substantive update · extended with new sources

Cite this finding
Robot War (2026). Ukrainian drones use Israeli HiSKY terminals to bypass Russian EW. Hetzner OSINT, 8 November 2026. https://robotwar.io/osint-hetzner/2026-11-07--ukrainian-drones-use-israeli-hisky-terminals-to-bypass-russian-ew/

@misc{robotwar-2026-11-07--ukrainian-drones-use-israeli-hisky-terminals-to-bypass-russian-ew,
  title = {Ukrainian drones use Israeli HiSKY terminals to bypass Russian EW},
  author = {Robot War},
  howpublished = {\url{https://robotwar.io/osint-hetzner/2026-11-07--ukrainian-drones-use-israeli-hisky-terminals-to-bypass-russian-ew/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Hetzner OSINT finding B2}
}

Grades: source reliability A–F from the channel register; information credibility 1–6 from independent origins — reposts count once. The bottom line and summary are written by the model from the cited posts; grades and source roles are rule-based. Methodology 2026-10-18.v7 · Corrections · JSON · RSS · API performance

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