Electronic Warfare

With ongoing domestic procurement of naval weapon systems for Magen corvettes and Dolphin submarines, and growing export opportunities, naval programs become an important growth opportunity for Israel’s defense industries.

Dozens of unmanned underwater, surface and air vehicles from NATO countries have gathered in Portugal for two weeks in September, testing new technological advances in unmanned maritime systems networks. To beef up its Port defense capability the Portuguese Navy invited IAI to bring its Drone-Guard C-UAS system that provided unprecedented situational awareness and drone defeat capability during the exercise.

The US Air Force is invests $16 million in further field assessment of Raytheon's Phaser High Power Microwave System outside the continental U.S. The testing phase will span over 12 months in which the Phaser will engage simulated and real unmanned aerial systems threats. The Phaser system developed by Raytheon is designed to combat drone swarms, particularly on attacks such as the recent loitering missiles that struck the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.

Following a successful flight testing of Collaborative Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD-X) air-launched decoys last week, the US Navy plans to complete the development, transforming the decoy into a navalized, networked one.

With the expected delivery of the first of Magen Class corvette next year the IMOD awards orders for the combat systems to be integrated with those vessels as they arrive in Israel. Elbit Systems announced today the receipt of an order worth US$85 for electronic warfare systems destined for those ships.

The failed assassination attempt in Caracas, Venezuela highlight the potential of drones as a weapon and a tool of terror, and the vulnerability of critical assets, even where drone countermeasures are active.

At the Army-2017 exhibition near Moscow, the Russian arms industries are promotiong the latest weapons and systems tested in combat in Syria. Unlike similar events in the west, the Russian weapons are demonstrated in daily live firing demonstrations throughout the week long event.

An MQ-9 'Reaper' Block 5 Unmanned aircraft demonstrated the use of Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), as part of an airborne demonstration of the drone's capability to operate on the edge of 'contested airspace'.

Unveiled yesterday at Eurosatory 2016 by Israel based Bird Aerosystems, SPREOS combines a radar based verification sensor and an active laser effector to form a directional, infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) system. Mounted on the same optical path, the laser 'fires׳ right through the center of the radar panel, enabling significant cost saving in maintaining separate aiming devices.

The U.S. Navy has entered the final phase of development of the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pod that will replace the ALQ-99 that has been in use since the Vietnam War. The new electronic attack pod matches advanced electronic-attack technology that combines high-powered, agile, beam-jamming techniques with cutting-edge, solid-state electronics.

A collection of photos taken at Milipol 2015 depicting new unmanned systems, payloads and robotics spotted by Defense Update team at the event.

the Air Force has now selected the stealthy, long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) as the optimal air vehicle to carry the CHAMP weapon.

Selex ES to supply 60 InfraRed Search and Track (IRST) Skyward for Saab's Gripen E. With the recent contract, added to AESA radar and IFF systems, Finmeccanica– Selex ES already provides about 30 percent of the Swedish next-generation fighter's electronics.

The US Navy has tested radar absorbing carbon-fiber cloud generators on board ships, which could be used to protect naval vessels from attacks by radar-guided anti-ship and air-launched cruise missiles