Sharp Acceleration: UAS to Offer Electronic Warfare (EW) Capabilities that Manned Aircraft Cannot Emulate

摘要

The inexpensive, autonomous, and cooperative UAS can effectively contribute in all aspects to EW, from electronic attack and jamming to Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and SIGINT. Nations have a vital requirement of unrestricted and immediate access to sensitive, unfiltered ISR data in near real-time, for which unmanned aircraft, from tactical to MALE UAS, represent the ideal platforms. This is due to them being expendable; more survivable in high threat environments; scalable; and potentially more affordable in terms of lower life cycle costs. One such specialised role is Electronic Warfare (EW). Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems segment tested the PANDORA internal miniature EW payload on its BAT miniature UAS (in service with the USMC, US Navy, USAF, and Department of Homeland Security) in 2013, demonstrating its suitability for Electronic Attack (EA), support, and protection. Company officials said that it was the first time that such an EW payload was carried by a small tactical UAS. "BAT continues to demonstrate capabilities that can normally only be achieved by larger, more expensive unmanned aircraft," noted George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman's Vice President of Medium-Range Tactical Systems.