Podcast: Code Name: Electronic Warfare
The third episode of *Nome in Codice*, the podcast from 24Ore NextMed and Radio24 that brings you stories, technologies and intrigues from the dark side of international politics, delves into the labyrinth of electromagnetic warfare, satellite jamming and those systems capable of disrupting the technology we all use every day. Drones brought down, GPS systems malfunctioning (as in the case of Von der Leyen’s aeroplane), but also theories surrounding the sinking of the yacht Bayesian. Listen to the episode.
by 24Ore NextMed
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Between March and May 2026, numerous Ukrainian military drones entered European airspace, triggering air raid alerts in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Romania. In some of these cases, they are not mere incidents: according to various European intelligence agencies, Russia is conducting acts of ‘electronic warfare’ by diverting enemy drones towards Europe to heighten tensions on NATO’s eastern flank. Here, in these parts of the Old Continent, such incidents are becoming increasingly frequent. But that does not mean that other EU states can ignore the issue and look the other way.
In this episode of “Code Name”, Claudio Antonelli and Antonio Talia interview experts and technicians, explore activities such as jamming and spoofing, and discuss so-called “Electronic Warfare” – that branch of modern warfare which enables the disruption of the technological systems that each of us uses every day. Guests include Samiele Ebano, CEO of Raysilience, and Domenico Vigilante, VP and Chief Technology Officer of Leonardo’s Electronics division.
The European Union has already included individuals and companies involved in electronic warfare activities in its various packages of sanctions against Russia. Sanctions are of no use. The countermeasures to be taken are primarily technological in nature and require investment. In June 2025, a letter sent to the European Commission by 13 Member States – including Italia – called for a stronger response to this type of interference. In July 2025, the European Union announced the launch of OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication), a protocol that will enable the signals transmitted by the European Galileo satellite system to be recognised and identified as authentic. Meanwhile, the EU is the region most affected by such activities worldwide, and to understand the scale of the phenomenon, one need only visit the EGIPRON Project website, an initiative of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme: EGIPRON – which utilises Italian technologies supplied by Leonardo and QASCOM S.r.l. – maps interference with satellite systems, and a glance at the map is enough to realise that every day the eastern flank of the European Union is bombarded by jamming signals, from the Baltic Sea all the way to Cyprus. The programme does not stop at listing drones that have crashed or been brought down, but – with input from defence experts – analyses measures to prevent attacks and delves into the grey areas of this technology. From the so-called Havana Syndrome to the theories behind the sinking of tycoon Mike Lynch’s yacht, the Bayesian.
