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Electronic Warfare is Really Jamming

Sept. 6, 2024

We're in the midst of disruptive development in almost every application space in electronics, with the modern battlefield being no exception.

Alix Paultre

Related To: Microwaves & RF

Beyond its use in basic SIGINT, ELINT, COMINT, and other electronic-warfare (EW) systems, jamming is a musical term used to describe the playing of instruments together in an improvised way. Today’s electronic warfare battlefield is a mash of technologies and processes evolving in a similar manner.

Between technology advances migrating device capabilities upward, electronics shrinking in size, and power electronics becoming more compact and energy-dense, you have a disruptive environment for development. Add to that the ongoing combat situation in Eastern Europe fomenting changes at both the strategic and tactical levels, and you have a perfect storm for EW evolution.

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The Challenges of the Modern Electronic Battlefield

Discover how cutting-edge advancements in electronic warfare are reshaping the modern battlefield as Chris Ciufo of General Micro Systems reveals the future of military communications...

The issues are myriad, as each disruptive change not only influences the development of any given system, it influences the entire EW ecosystem. Better intercept drives more advanced encrypted comms; improved jamming systems inspire alternate drone control methodologies; and more sophisticated combat management systems invite more intrusive cyberattacks.

Both designers and users are hip-deep in a complex evolving development environment, made more complex and challenging by the life-and-death battlefield pressure-cooker it's taking place in.

Designers and system developers must use the latest solutions available in the creation of their electronic warfare solutions—there's no second place in this kind of competition. Not only must the most advanced technology be used in the components and subsystems involved, the test and measurement tools should be employed in their development to ensure optimum performance. Design in today’s world, especially in application spaces like military and aerospace systems, must leverage the latest advances available.

Welcome to Microwaves & RF's special week on electronic-warfare technology, offering up articles, a webinar, and more.

The Digital Battlefield: Transforming Military Operations Through Data and Connectivity

About the Author

Alix Paultre | Editor-at-Large, Microwaves & RF

Alix is Editor-at-Large for Microwaves & RF.

An Army veteran, Alix Paultre was a signals intelligence soldier on the East/West German border in the early ‘80s, and eventually wound up helping launch and run a publication on consumer electronics for the U.S. military stationed in Europe. Alix first began in this industry in 1998 at Electronic Products magazine, and since then has worked for a variety of publications, most recently as Editor-in-Chief of Power Systems Design.

Alix currently lives in Wiesbaden, Germany.