Ukraine has deployed a new electronic warfare system that is reshaping the dynamics of aerial combat on the battlefield.

Developed domestically and codenamed Lima, the system targets the satellite navigation links relied upon by Russian precision-guided glide bombs, disrupting their ability to strike with accuracy.

Through a sophisticated combination of jamming, spoofing, and cyber interference, Lima undermines the guidance systems of Russian munitions fitted with the Universal Planning and Correction Module (UMPK) — a glide and steering kit that allows bombs to be launched from high altitudes and glide towards targets with precision.

Russia has increasingly relied on these glide bombs, particularly since 2023, to attack Ukrainian positions from safe stand-off distances, beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defences. UMPK-equipped bombs, often referred to as KABs, became a focal point of Russian air operations — notably during assaults such as the campaign against Avdiivka, where Ukrainian forces had maintained defensive lines since 2014. 

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These munitions feature a dual guidance system, combining satellite navigation via Russia’s GLONASS network with inertial navigation. While this combination once enabled high-precision strikes, the loss of satellite input significantly degrades accuracy. 

Inertial navigation alone introduces growing deviation — typically around 13 metres after 38 seconds in flight, but increasing to 30, 50, or even 100 metres depending on flight time and conditions.

Lima’s effectiveness lies in its ability to jam and manipulate the navigation data feeding into the bombs’ guidance systems. As a bomb approaches the zone covered by a Lima transmitter, false data is injected into its onboard computer, while its satellite signal is actively suppressed. This causes the munition to veer off course, often rendering it ineffective.

According to open source intelligence, the system reportedly exploits vulnerabilities in the Kometa-M software running on the bombs’ guidance units, introducing corrupted navigational inputs and further distorting their trajectory.

The further a bomb is launched from the Lima system’s location, the more distortion accumulates over time, resulting in substantial targeting errors. In some instances, glide bombs have reportedly failed to reach their intended targets altogether — either detonating harmlessly in open fields or remaining unexploded.

Ukrainian open-source monitoring groups and military information platforms have observed a marked decline in the accuracy of Russian glide bomb strikes. Weapons that once landed within metres of their targets are now missing by kilometres, striking non-strategic or empty areas. 

The development and field deployment of Lima mark a significant advance in Ukraine’s capacity to neutralise one of Russia’s most potent aerial threats. Its impact is already evident in the sharp drop in successful Russian precision strikes. Between January and March 2025 alone, Russia launched over 10,000 guided bombs, many of which failed to hit critical targets.

With Lima now fully integrated into Ukraine’s defensive systems, the country has gained a crucial strategic edge in its efforts to contest air superiority and protect its forces and cities from high-altitude strikes that once seemed unstoppable.

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