Electronic Warfare

Electronic warfare (EW) is military action that uses electromagnetic energy to sense, exploit, disrupt or protect operations in the electromagnetic spectrum. It seeks to preserve friendly use of communications, sensors and navigation systems while reducing the enemy's ability to use them effectively.

Electronic support

Electronic support comprises the passive search, interception, identification and location of electromagnetic emissions. It converts signals from radars, radios, data links and weapon seekers into threat warning, situational awareness and an enemy electronic order of battle.

• Direction-finding helps locate hostile emitters and may provide coordinates for targeting.
• Continuous monitoring alerts forces to surveillance radars, fire-control radars and communication networks.

Electronic attack

Electronic attack uses electromagnetic or directed energy to degrade, deceive, neutralise or destroy enemy capabilities that depend on the spectrum.

• Jamming obstructs hostile radar, radio, data-link or satellite-navigation reception by creating interference.
• Electronic deception transmits or alters signals to create false targets, positions, identities or operational pictures.
• Anti-radiation weapons may home onto hostile emitters, linking spectrum detection with physical suppression.

Electronic protection

Electronic protection safeguards friendly personnel, platforms and systems against hostile electronic attack and unintended electromagnetic interference. It allows forces to continue using the spectrum in a contested environment.

• Frequency agility, spread-spectrum techniques and jam-resistant waveforms make communications and sensors harder to disrupt.
• Shielding, hardening, filtering and redundancy reduce vulnerability to interference or electromagnetic attack.
• Emission control and spectrum management limit detection, prevent mutual interference and deconflict friendly systems.

Operational integration

The three activities form a cycle: support detects and characterises emissions, attack exploits the resulting knowledge, and protection preserves friendly freedom of action. EW operates across land, sea, air and space platforms and is closely coordinated with intelligence, cyber operations, communications and conventional fires.