By: Mark Pomerleau
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The Russian electronic warfare threat inwards Europe has caused the the United States of America armed forces as well as its unusual partners to scramble to reevaluate their capabilities as well as force postures. Some leaders receive got fifty-fifty asserted the the United States of America is “outgunned” when it comes to electronic warfare. Army soldiers inwards Europe, equally a result, require additional capabilities. For the outset time, details regarding soldiers needs — such equally the powerfulness to locomote mobile as well as operate disconnected from a network, which the electrical flow capability as well as programme does non include — are coming to light.
The Army believes it tin displace accelerate the evolution of a primal electronic warfare program, as well as inwards the process, render a route map for how the service powerfulness improve acquisition.
The foundational capability constitute inwards the electrical flow Electronic Warfare Planning as well as Management Tool (EWPMT) — a command-and-control planning suite amongst incremental capabilities added over fourth dimension inwards software drops — enabled planning as well as visualization of the electromagnetic spectrum environment.
This was of import equally forces struggled inwards Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan to defeat remotely controlled roadside improvised explosive devices. The offensive jammers used to disable the IED threat were as well as therefore powerful they also jammed friendly communications. EWPMT’s foundational capability sought to mitigate these types of challenges soldiers encountered inwards Afghanistan. However, the tools required an expansion to address the dissimilar gear upward of challenges faced past times soldiers inwards Europe.
Enter Raven Claw 1, added to EWPMT ahead of the adjacent capability stage (due inwards 2020). Raven Claw i enables soldiers to deport electronic warfare planning as well as administration on the movement as well as without network connection, getting at a critical involve for troops inwards Europe, who are rarely tethered to a static command post.
“The main affair was making it portable as well as able to operate inwards a mobile environment.” Karen Steinfeld, manager of capture administration excellence tactical electronic warfare at Raytheon (the contractor for EWPMT), told C4ISRNET inwards an interview.
This way, if soldiers lose connectivity, they’ll receive got the final known practiced chip of information most what is going on as well as the powerfulness to excogitation as well as create out or as well as therefore that, Travis Slocumb, vice president, electronic warfare systems at Raytheon, told C4ISRNET.
“Let’s tell 5 minutes after yous receive got connectivity for xxx seconds. Boom — yous ingest the latest update as well as at to the lowest degree it’s meliorate than non having an powerfulness to regard as well as excogitation as well as create out what yous know,” he said. “It’s a laptop-based capability as well as therefore it’s on the move, it’s mobile. You’re non sitting inwards a [tactical operational center] having to communicate out to the outer border of operations ... it’s on the edge.”
Feeding dorsum into the program
Steinfeld made for certain to stress that Raven Claw i is component of EWPMT. She said it infuses capability on overstep of the electrical flow programme trajectory that tin displace locomote evaluated inwards activeness past times the programme purpose as well as eventually incorporated writ large for all units. However, larger, to a greater extent than universal upgrades based on feedback from the European deployment must locomote made first.
“To hollo upward of them equally form is actually non accurate. Raven Claw i was a rapid reply capability that nosotros were able to produce because of our investment inwards for certain EW technologies as well as the fact that nosotros receive got this opened upward architecture,” she said. “An of import affair to sympathise is that actually Raven Claw builds upon the success inwards [capability drop] 2.”
EWPMT has 4 capability drops planned, amongst Raytheon having completed CD1 as well as CD2. The Army isn’t projected to brand a fielding determination on EWPMT drib iii until 2020.
In the meantime, Army officials receive got highlighted the Army’s reply to the Europe operational involve past times fielding Raven Claw equally an illustration of how novel capabilities tin displace locomote infused into existing programs exterior of programme schedules to adjust to evolving threats.
Steinfeld noted that Raytheon was able to educate Raven Claw i inwards half dozen months, deliver it to the client for initial testing as well as regard it acquire to the acre inwards simply thirteen months.
Slocumb noted that the lessons from Raven Claw i tin displace inform time to come EWPMT iterations, explaining, “CD3 volition non locomote a pure requirements-driven applied scientific discipline exercise. It’s going to also receive got into draw of piece of employment concern human relationship what we’re learning amongst this deployment. That’s where the value is inwards doing this.”
He said Raytheon volition locomote along to operate amongst the Army tweaking the solution as well as volition receive got to a greater extent than concrete insights on Raven Claw 1’s success inwards a few months.
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