Electronic Warfare

Leer-3 electronic warfare system

Also known as
  • RB-341V Leer-3
  • Leer-3
  • RB-341V
  • Leier-3
  • Leer 3
  • RB-341B Leer-3

The Leer-3 is a Russian drone-based electronic-warfare system that pairs a KamAZ-5350 command post with Orlan-10 unmanned aircraft carrying cellular-network jamming and deception payloads. Public sources describe it as a GSM-focused electronic-attack and signals-intelligence complex used by Russian forces in Ukraine to disrupt, locate, and exploit mobile communications.

Role in Conflicts

Cellular Network Attack Role

Leer-3 is most often described as an electronic-attack system against mobile-phone networks. ICDS lists GSM jamming, SMS transmission, and a reported 6 km jamming radius, while Hudson Institute analysis describes Russian use of the system in eastern Ukraine to hijack local cellular networks for propaganda or false orders and to support targeting workflows.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Type
Drone-based electronic-warfare and signals-intelligence system
Service note
Introduced into Russian service in the mid-2010s and documented in Ukraine from the Donbas phase through the full-scale war
Designer
Special Technology Centre
Designed
Mid-2010s
Produced
2010s-present

Specifications

Role
Drone-based electronic attack, GSM jamming, cellular deception, and signals-intelligence support
System components
KamAZ-5350 command-and-control post with up to three Orlan-10 UAVs carrying jamming payloads
Jamming focus
GSM mobile-phone networks; reported upgrades for 3G/4G are public but not fully verified
Reported jamming radius
Up to 6 km for mobile-communications suppression in ICDS reporting
Reported control range
60 km control range in ICDS reporting
Air vehicle
Orlan-10 unmanned aircraft
Known functions
Mobile-network suppression, false SMS delivery, cellular base-station simulation, emitter location, and artillery-targeting support
System Architecture

Leer-3 extends a ground electronic-warfare crew by putting the cellular-network payload on Orlan-10 unmanned aircraft. That architecture lets the system work above terrain and front-line clutter while the command post remains on a KamAZ truck.

Command post

ODIN describes the system as a KamAZ-5350 command-and-control post connected to the UAV element.

Airborne element

ICDS and ODIN describe up to three Orlan-10 UAVs fitted with jammers; the cataloged Orlan-10 is the aircraft family linked to the system.

Electronic role

Public reporting focuses on cellular-network jamming, false SMS delivery, signal collection, and geolocation support rather than kinetic effects from the system itself.

Variants

Public sources normally treat RB-341V and Leer-3 as the same system designation rather than separate variants; the main configuration distinction is the command post working with Orlan-10 aircraft and exchangeable electronic-warfare payloads.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
RB-341V Leer-3Baseline Russian electronic-warfare complex

ICDS and ODIN describe the RB-341V / Leer-3 as a command-post-and-UAV system built around Orlan-10 aircraft fitted with jamming payloads.

Sources: ODIN Leer-3 Worldwide Equipment Guide, Russia's Electronic Warfare Capabilities to 2025

3G/4G-capable upgradeReported cellular-network expansion

ICDS notes reporting that some Leer-3 systems were apparently upgraded beyond GSM to work against 3G and 4G networks, while treating that claim as not fully verified.

Sources: Russia's Electronic Warfare Capabilities to 2025

Timeline

Leer-3 electronic warfare system Key Events

  1. Western Military District delivery reported

    ICDS reports that Russian Western Military District electronic-warfare troops received the Leer-3 UAV system in 2015 as part of a broader modernization of Russian EW units.

    Sources: Russia's Electronic Warfare Capabilities to 2025

  2. OSCE UAV spots Leer-3 near Chornukhyne

    The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission reported that a mini-UAV spotted a Leer-3 RB-341V near Chornukhyne in non-government-controlled Luhansk Oblast, alongside several other Russian electronic-warfare systems.

    Sources: OSCE SMM 10 August 2018 Report

  3. Destroyed Leer-3 reported after full-scale invasion

    Defense Express reported that Ukrainian service members destroyed a Russian RB-341V Leer-3 during the early full-scale invasion period, citing the AFU Task Force East press service.

    Sources: Defense Express Leer-3 Destroyed

  4. T2COM threat video derived from Leer-3 profile

    A U.S. Army T2COM G2 public-domain ThreatMinutes video on cellular-network exploitation listed the Leer-3 ODIN profile among its source material.

    Sources: Death by Telephone ThreatMinutes

Media
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Sources