On October 14, 2026, serious communication issues were reported on the Huliaipil direction, related to the use of the Starshield package from Starlink. These issues led to the cancellation of several UAV missions within the 7th Airborne Corps.
Causes of Communication Issues
During the night of October 14, military personnel began to notice that during UAV flights, the connection with the Starlink system would drop for 10–20 seconds when the speed of the aircraft reached 110–120 km/h. This significantly complicated their control and mission execution. Such interruptions in communication are particularly critical for high-speed drones that require a stable signal for proper launch and control.
Impact on Middle Strike Drones
The consequences of these issues are especially severe for drones of the Middle Strike type, which need to gain high speed during launch. Unstable communication can make their launch or mission execution impossible, increasing operational risks. As a result, one of the units operating in the Huliaipil direction has already canceled several missions since the beginning of the day due to these technical difficulties.
Military Response
The command of the 7th Airborne Corps confirmed that the communication problems are directly related to changes in the Starshield package, which previously had no data transmission speed limitations. The military is actively working to resolve this situation to restore communication stability and ensure uninterrupted control of UAVs.