US guided rockets in Ukraine are being jammed by Russia

U.S.-made smart bombs provided to Ukraine are being jammed by Russia and are missing their targets, according to a Politico review of a leaked Pentagon document.

Russia is electronically jamming the precision-guided munitions, a Defense Department official confirmed to Politico, rendering them useless upon impact.

Some of the smart bombs were also failing to detonate because of a technical issue, but that has since been addressed by Ukraine.

The latest revelations from a trove of leaked Pentagon documents underscores yet another hurdle for Ukraine ahead of an expected spring offensive.

The documents also highlighted vulnerabilities in Kyiv’s air defenses and cast doubt on Ukrainian troops retaking significant territory this spring.

The Defense Department is still conducting an investigation of the documents, and it’s unclear how many of the records may have been manipulated or altered.

Often referred to as smart bombs, precision-guided munitions track targets with a high degree of accuracy using GPS satellite technology.

The air-to-surface rockets are fired from bomber planes and fighter jets to strike targets on the ground.

Last year, the U.S. began providing equipment to Ukraine to convert dumb bombs into precision guided rockets, referred to as the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs).

The JDAMs are failing to detonate at a higher than usual rate, according to the leaked Pentagon documents reviewed by Politico, suggesting Russian GPS jamming is effective. Ukraine has already addressed an issue in which the bombs were failing to arm when released.