The Outside Of The Envelope

As this compendium has shown, the continued proliferation of both military and commercial RF (Radio Frequency) equipment, means that airborne EW will continue to remain as important, if not more so, in the future.

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Travis Slocomb, vice president of electronic warfare systems at Raytheon stated to Armada that: “Electronic warfare is clearly growing in importance, particularly … with the proliferation of commercial technology.” He continued that: “The need for airborne EW systems and capabilities exists where there are air-to-air and surface-to-air threats.” In addition to the important role that ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) collection plays in supporting operations on the ground (see introduction): “The threat is always the driver. It evolves quickly and is becoming increasingly dynamic as adversaries exploit commercial technology. As the threat continues to evolve, so will the need for airborne EW.” At the same time: “The combination of threat advancement and ageing airborne EW systems has customers looking for new or upgraded electronic warfare capabilities,” stated Steve Morais, director of engineering at BAE Systems, while at the same time he observed, countries around the world are seeking to minimise defence expenditure.

Looking towards the future, The Defence Research Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) which develops emerging technologies on behalf of the United States Department of Defence hopes to migrate technology developed by BAE Systems for DARPA’s Adaptive Radar Countermeasures (ARC) programme onto current and future United States Air Force (USAF) combat aircraft, sources close to the programme have informed