{"id":378036,"date":"2026-04-06T15:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/378036\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T15:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T15:15:12","slug":"russia-replaces-starlink-with-european-built-satellites-originally-made-by-airbus-and-thales-united24-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/378036\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia Replaces Starlink With European-Built Satellites Originally Made by\u00a0Airbus and Thales \u2014 UNITED24 Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia is\u00a0increasingly using a\u00a0new generation of\u00a0satellite communication terminals to\u00a0reduce reliance on\u00a0systems like Starlink, connecting them to\u00a0satellites originally built by\u00a0European companies Airbus and Thales.<\/p>\n

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According to\u00a0Defense Express on\u00a0April 6, the deployment of\u00a0compact \u201cSprint-030\u201d satellite terminals by\u00a0Russian forces has expanded<\/a> in\u00a0recent months. <\/p>\n

The system is\u00a0described as\u00a0significantly smaller than traditional terminals and is\u00a0designed to\u00a0provide satellite internet access via Russia\u2019s existing orbital infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The outlet reports that these terminals are compatible not only with the better-known \u201cYamal\u201d satellite network but also with the \u201cExpress\u201d series of\u00a0Russian telecommunications satellites. <\/p>\n

Information published by\u00a0the terminal\u2019s developer, the Russian company \u201cGK\u00a0REIS,\u201d indicates that tests conducted in\u00a0July 2024\u00a0demonstrated connectivity via the Express-AM7 satellite, achieving download speeds of\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a010\u00a0Mbps and upload speeds of\u00a01\u00a0Mbps.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Defense Express, the Express-AM7 satellite was manufactured by\u00a0Airbus using the Eurostar-3000 platform and launched into geostationary orbit in\u00a02015. It\u00a0is\u00a0part of\u00a0the satellite constellation operated by\u00a0Russia\u2019s state-owned enterprise \u201cKosmicheskaya Svyaz.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Presentation<\/a>
\n Presentation slide shows testing of\u00a0the \u201cSprint-030\u201d portable satellite station, demonstrating connectivity via the Express-AM7 satellite with reported speeds of\u00a0up\u00a0to\u00a010\u00a0Mbps. (Source: GK\u00a0REIS \/ RSCC)<\/p>\n

The report further states that multiple operational satellites within the \u201cExpress\u201d series were either built directly by\u00a0Airbus or\u00a0include telecommunications payloads produced by\u00a0Thales Alenia Space. <\/p>\n

These include satellites launched between 2009\u00a0and 2021, such as\u00a0Express-AM44, Express-AT2, Express-AM8, Express-AMU1, Express-80, Express-103, Express-AMU3, and Express-AMU7.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Defense Express, Airbus and Thales were involved in\u00a0these projects under contracts with the Russian government, including after 2014. It\u00a0remains unclear whether the companies currently retain any technical control or\u00a0influence over the satellites already in\u00a0orbit.<\/p>\n

The reported shift comes as\u00a0Russia seeks to\u00a0develop alternatives to\u00a0Western satellite communication systems. The use of\u00a0existing geostationary satellites, combined with newly deployed terminals, suggests an\u00a0attempt to\u00a0expand battlefield connectivity without relying on\u00a0external providers.<\/p>\n

\"Russian<\/p>\n

Read more<\/p>\n

CategoryLatest news<\/a>Russian Troops Turned Guns on\u00a0Each Other, When Starlink Went Silent<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Feb 06, 2026 16:04\n <\/p>\n

Earlier, Russian forces had relied on\u00a0unauthorized access to\u00a0Starlink terminals obtained through third-party supply chains to\u00a0support battlefield communications and drone operations. Ukraine, in\u00a0coordination with SpaceX, introduced<\/a> technical restrictions that disabled a\u00a0significant portion of\u00a0these terminals by\u00a0limiting access to\u00a0registered users.<\/p>\n

The impact on\u00a0Russian units was immediate, with operations disrupted following the loss of\u00a0secure communication channels. Ukrainian military sources reported a\u00a0decline in\u00a0coordination efficiency, while Ukraine\u2019s Defense Ministry adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said the restrictions created a\u00a0\u201ccatastrophe\u201d for Russian forces on\u00a0certain sections of\u00a0the front.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Read more<\/p>\n

CategoryWar in Ukraine<\/a>How Ukraine Liberated 200 Sq Km in Its Fastest Push Since 2023\u2014Disrupting Russia\u2019s 2026 Plans<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Feb 18, 2026 18:27\n <\/p>\n

Russian troops had been using thousands of\u00a0such terminals prior to\u00a0the restrictions. Following their deactivation, units were forced to\u00a0switch to\u00a0alternative systems, including legacy satellite networks, which offer lower speeds and less stable connectivity.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0the same time, Ukrainian forces reported continued territorial gains across multiple sectors. Official updates indicated the liberation of\u00a0hundreds of\u00a0square kilometers, as\u00a0improved coordination and strikes on\u00a0command-and-control infrastructure\u2014including communication nodes\u2014reduced Russia\u2019s ability to\u00a0synchronize drone and ground operations.<\/p>\n

\"Protect\"Logo\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Russia is\u00a0increasingly using a\u00a0new generation of\u00a0satellite communication terminals to\u00a0reduce reliance on\u00a0systems like Starlink, connecting them to\u00a0satellites originally built…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[85,46,141,145],"class_list":{"0":"post-378036","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-space"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}