Aerospace & Defense Technology - February 2021 - 16

Electronic Warfare
Vying for Control of the
Electromagnetic Spectrum
versaries, leading to a need for a more
flexible, scalable approach to threat detection, analysis, and response.
Even the smallest military can now
build powerful weapons systems, given
the availability and low cost of advanced electronics with high computing power. The proliferation of technology also created a battlefield where
weapons technology undergoes rapid,
continuous change. Digital and programmable radio frequency equipment,
such as software-defined radios, creates
a more complex battlefield. In addition,
radars can quickly change waveforms,
making it challenging to locate, identify, and confuse hostile emitters.
These trends impact every
aspect of EW, which
uses the electromagnetic
(EM) spectrum to
sense,

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protect, communicate, and attack during
warfare. Today, the ability to ensure spectrum-wide superiority during warfare is
one of the biggest determinants of success or failure during a military operation.

Electronic Warfare Is Modern
Warfare
Broadly defined, EW is the use or
manipulation of the EM spectrum in
warfare from air, land, sea, and space.
It involves the use of EM energy, directed energy, or anti-radiation wea pons for uses ranging from detection,
denial, and deception to destruction
and protection. EW uses radio and microwave frequencies for communications, radars, and satellites. Certain
EW solutions also leverage infrared for
intelligence and enemy targeting.
Lasers use the spectrum to transmit
data, communicate, and destroy a target.
EW includes any military action involving the use of EM and directed energy to control the electromagnetic
spectrum or attack the enemy. EW comprises three main categories:
* Electronic protection involves protecting access to the EM spectrum for
friendly military assets, including radio
frequencies, radar frequencies, spread
spectrum technology, GPS signals, and
frequency coordination. Electronic protection also entails defeating electronic
attacks that seek to disable the use of
the EM spectrum. Examples include the
use of flare rejection logic on an infrared (IR) missile, which allows a missile to function as intended despite the
use of flares by an enemy to disrupt its
navigation.
* EW support is broadly defined as surveillance and reconnaissance using EM
energy. The data gathered can produce
signal intelligence (SIGINT) to help
with targeting for an electronic or physical attack. It also can produce measurement and signature intelligence.
* Electronic attack uses EM energy, direct
energy, or anti-radiation weapons to

Aerospace & Defense Technology, February 2021

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ver the past decade, preeminent countries involved in
major military conflicts
mainly focused on asymmetrical warfare - surprise attacks by small
groups armed with modern, high-tech
weaponry. During that same period,
however, near-peer adversaries began
attaining impressive electronic warfare
(EW) capabilities. As a result, a plethora
of new, dynamic threats flooded the EW
spectrum, pushing threat detection and
analysis to keep pace. Large military
forces now face ongoing development
and evolution to stay ahead of their ad-

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Aerospace & Defense Technology - February 2021

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