Ukrainian forces are reportedly equipping long-range drones with Italian-manufactured HiSky SmartLITE terminals to bypass single-network vulnerabilities. These six-kilogram devices connect to third-party commercial satellites, enabling operators to track positions and send commands far beyond ground transmitter ranges. The adaptation follows recurring Starlink outages, including an incident where connections failed on platforms traveling faster than 160 kilometers per hour. Rather than replacing Starlink entirely, this hardware provides a flexible auxiliary network layer.
Key points
Incorporating third-party satellite terminals provides critical operational redundancy wh…: Incorporating third-party satellite terminals provides critical operational redundancy when primary communication networks face restrictions or outages.
The Israeli-designed hardware connects across diverse commercial satellite networks rathe…: The Israeli-designed hardware connects across diverse commercial satellite networks rather than relying on a single dedicated constellation.
Neither the Ukrainian government nor HiSky's leadership has officially verified the activ…: Neither the Ukrainian government nor HiSky's leadership has officially verified the active combat deployment of these communication devices.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
For Ukraine, losing a satellite connection could mean losing control of a drone flying deep inside enemy territory.
After repeated disruptions to Elon Musk's Starlink network exposed the risks of relying on a single provider, Kyiv is reportedly exploring an alternative developed by an Israeli company. The technology, manufactured in Italy, could give Ukrainian drones another way to stay connected during missions inside Russia.
According to The Kyiv Post, Ukrainian forces are reportedly using satellite communication terminals developed by Israeli company HiSky on their long-range drones.
The development comes amid growing concerns over restrictions affecting SpaceX's Starlink and military-focused Starshield services, which have become important to Ukraine's battlefield communications.
The reported deployment came to light after Russian military sources circulated photographs of a Ukrainian drone that had reportedly crashed inside Russia.
The recovered equipment appeared to include a satellite communication terminal identified as HiSky's SmartLITE system. Italian newspaper La Repubblica subsequently reported that the device carried a label identifying an Italian manufacturing facility in the province of Caserta.
The claims received further support from a November 13 report by Germany's…
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