Defence Intelligence of Ukraine says Russia deploying 32-element CRPAs

A GNSS receiver with digital antenna array from a Russian Kometa-M12 CRPA. (Defence Intelligence of Ukraine)

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), also known as HUR (Holovne Upravlinnia Rozvidky), said Russia is preparing for serial production of 20-element antenna arrays for Kometa navigation modules and added that 32-element controlled reception pattern antennas (CRPAs) have been deployed in a 19 October 2026 press release.

The DIU said the 32-element CRPAs are being manufactured in China and in Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tatarstan. “Currently, the adversary [Russia] is already making widespread use of Kometa systems equipped with 16 antennas,” the DIU stated. Kometa is a Russian navigation module that uses controlled reception pattern antennas (CRPAs) to filter interference and maintain satellite positioning amid electronic jamming.

The DIU describes Russia's Kometa as a “jam-resistant navigation module”, with the standard variant used in Russian missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and guided aerial bombs. The classic Kometa variant comprises an antenna array with a specified number and configuration of antenna elements and a signal-processing module based on a Altera Cyclone field programmable gate array (FPGA), according to DIU.

“The resilience of such a system [classic Kometa variant] to interference depends on the number of antennas, their arrangement, and the algorithm used by the FPGA to separate the useful signal from the interference,” DIU said in the release. Kometa also uses its CRPA to adapt its reception patterns using signal processing algorithms. The number of antenna elements enables the system to determine the direction of incoming interference and compensate for its effects, DIU added.