One of the main directions of development of the domestic armed forces is the creation of new electronic warfare systems. Such equipment makes it possible to hinder or make impossible the operation of various enemy systems, such as communications or radar detection stations. Disabling enemy detection and communication means gives troops a definite advantage, which can be used to effectively solve existing tasks.
In recent years, a large number of various electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems have been adopted by various types of armed forces. New equipment for this purpose is installed on ships and aircraft, and is also performed in the form of self-propelled land complexes. All this makes it possible to effectively solve a number of tasks of suppressing communication channels, countering detection means, etc.
The main manufacturer of electronic warfare systems in our country is the Concern "Radioelectronic Technologies" (KRET). Various organizations that make up the Concern regularly report on the creation, start of mass production or the supply of the latest electronic warfare systems and other equipment to the troops. All this turns out to be a good reason for the joy of fellow citizens. At the same time, foreign experts and the military are trying to predict what will happen next and how the latest Russian systems can affect a hypothetical armed conflict.
Back in August of this year, Defense News published several curious statements by American military leaders, as well as retired generals. In the context of the war in Ukraine, in which, according to the official American version, the Russian armed forces are involved, several statements were made concerning the development of Russian electronic warfare systems. The generals cited by Defense News tend to give good assessments of Russia's success.
The commander of NATO ground forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, noted that the Ukrainian conflict is helping the Alliance military to collect information about the latest Russian systems. The general said that the Ukrainian military can teach a lot to their American colleagues. Thus, US military personnel have never come under fire from Russian artillery or encountered Russian electronic warfare systems. Ukrainians, in turn, have this experience and can share it with NATO specialists.
Thus, with the help of the Ukrainian military, American specialists learn about Russian electronic warfare systems, and also receive information about the characteristics, range, tactics of use, etc. It should be noted that B. Hodges had previously touched on the topic of Russian electronic warfare equipment. Previously, he argued that they are very painful for the enemy.
Defense News also published the opinion of the former chief of the electronic warfare service of the US ground forces, Laurie Bakhut. This specialist named the main problem of the American troops. He believes that it is directly related to the armed conflicts of recent times: the American army has not fought for several decades in the conditions of the enemy's use of means of suppressing communications. As a consequence, the armed forces do not know how to work in such conditions. There is no tactic of action in such situations, in addition, no one prepares for work when the enemy uses electronic warfare systems.
L. Bakkhut also admits that Russia is superior to the United States in its electronic warfare capabilities. The former head of the electronic warfare service notes that the United States has developed intelligence and can listen to anything. Nevertheless, the Americans do not have even a tenth of the Russian capabilities to disable equipment. According to the expert, electronic warfare means are highly effective, but at the same time they are a "non-kinetic form of attack." Such impacts are more difficult to monitor and are less likely to be perceived as an open attack.
At the end of October, the topic of Russian electronic warfare equipment was raised by General Frank Gorenk, who is the commander of the US Air Force in Europe. He believes that the Russian military has managed to close an important gap that has caused American capabilities to begin to fade. In addition, the new opportunities for Russia in the area of the A2 / AD (Anti-access / Area-denial) strategy are a cause for concern. This strategy implies preventing enemy troops from entering their territory or reducing their capabilities during a breakthrough.
"Rossiyskaya Gazeta" cites the comment of Nikolai Kolesov, General Director of KRET, regarding the statements of Gorenk. He argues that Russia is not in the business of plugging the breaches. On the contrary, our country is returning to the positions it left earlier. Electronic warfare is one of the main components of the A2 / AD concept when it comes to armed conflict with an enemy that relies on air superiority, precision weapons and intelligence data. According to N. Kolesov, electronic warfare can knock out such trump cards from the enemy's hands, having ripped off the so-called. power projection.
Also at the end of October, RIA Novosti published several interesting statements by the general designer and deputy general director of KRET for electronic warfare and innovations, Yuri Mayevsky. The General Designer of the Concern touched upon the topic of the further development of domestic electronic warfare systems. As follows from the words of the specialist, the Russian industry has big plans in this regard.
According to Mayevsky, the United States is deploying missile defense facilities in Europe as part of the implementation of the strategy of the so-called. a rapid global strike, the goal of which is to destroy Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles of various types on the flight path. Such threats require an appropriate response. In particular, the appearance of solutions "lying in the EW plane" is possible. Such questions are already being worked out by the specialists of the Concern "Radioelectronic Technologies".
Also, Yu. Maevsky said that work is already underway on electronic warfare systems designed to counter enemy unmanned systems. There are already prototypes of such equipment. The details of these projects have not yet been disclosed, but it can be assumed that they are based on the idea of suppressing the UAV's communication channels, after which it will not be able to effectively carry out the task.
Another promising direction is the creation of a new generation of electronic warfare helicopter systems. In the field of electronic warfare, new technologies are being introduced, such as digital electronics, microelectronics, broadband phased antenna arrays, etc., which makes it possible to appropriately update systems of various classes, including those intended for installation on aircraft. According to Yu. Maevsky, currently KRET is working on the creation of helicopter complexes for group protection of aviation in a planned manner. The General Designer of the Concern looks to the future with optimism and has no doubts about the successful completion of the work.
In early November, Yu. Maevsky revealed new details of the work of electronic warfare. KRET has chosen a new strategy for the development of electronic intelligence and electronic warfare. All such tools will now be developed on the basis of unified hardware solutions. Such unification, due to the use of common modules, will reduce the development time, as well as simplify and reduce the cost of manufacturing products. In addition, some gains are expected in terms of weight, size and power consumption.
Regular reports on the development, putting into service and deliveries of new electronic warfare systems are cause for optimism, as well as pride in the domestic industry. In addition, they turn out to be an occasion for curious statements by the current and former commanders of foreign armies. The statements of such specialists are of particular interest, since they may reveal the concerns of foreign countries related to the latest Russian projects.
In the last few days alone, a number of news has emerged about current and future developments in the field of electronic warfare. Concern "Radioelectronic Technologies" is developing new aviation electronic warfare systems, countermeasures to drones, etc. In addition, the possibility of creating means to suppress some elements of the Euro-Atlantic missile defense system is not ruled out.
Thus, there is every reason to believe that the troops in the future will receive new electronic warfare equipment, and the situation in the media sphere, in general, will remain unchanged. The domestic industry will report on its successes, the armed forces will continue to report on the development of new technology, and foreign generals, as now, will continue to express concern about Russian innovations. In the meantime, the potential of electronic intelligence and electronic warfare units will grow, increasing the overall capabilities of the armed forces as a whole.
