Russian weapons riddled with Western electronic components, RUSI finds
The Orlan-10 UAV is one of the military systems examined in RUSI's report on western electronics in Russian military equipment. (Photo: Russian MoD)
Russian weapons used in its invasion of Ukraine are full of Western-made electronic components, a report from the RUSI think tank has found.
Hundreds of foreign-made microelectronic components such as processors have been found in weapons used by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, according to a recent report from the RUSI think tank.
The report, ‘Silicon Lifeline: Western Electronics at the Heart of Russia’s War Machine’, includes an examination of the components and functioning of 27 of Russia’s ‘most modern’ weapons, including cruise missiles, found at least 450 foreign-made components many of which were made by US companies known for providing microelectronics to the US military.
According to the 8 August report, as many as 80 of the components were subject to
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons]()
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
