What is Electronic Warfare (EW) Devices?

Fighter jets, combat tanks, battleships, and submarines are all recognizable to practically everyone nowadays. Most people have witnessed them in action, whether in person or through television or film. However, there is an ongoing invisible battle in the atmosphere that involves the use of radio and radar signals. Electronic Warfare is the name given to this stealthy conflict of lasers.

Electronic Warfare Devices, including ground equipment used for electronic warfare, such as jamming, ECM, and weapons directing during the aerial conflict, fall under this category.

Electronic Warfare Devices History

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905, the first documented consideration of Electronic Warfare Devices was made. The Shinano Maru, a Japanese auxiliary cruiser, had identified the Russian Baltic Fleet in Tsushima Strait and was transmitting the fleet's location to the Imperial Japanese Fleet HQ via wireless means of communication.

During World War II, both the Allies and the Axis Powers used Electronic Warfare Devices extensively, dubbed the "Battle of the Beams" by Winston Churchill. Bombers were increasingly using navigational radars to direct them to their targets and back to their home base. During WWII, the first use of EW was to thwart navigational radars. During WWII, chaff was used to confuse and disable radar monitoring systems.

Borisoglebsk 2, a land-based Army-operated multifunctional electronic warfare system built by Sozvezdie, was delivered to the Russian army in December 2010. The system's development began in 2004 and ended in December 2010 with the successful completion of evaluation testing. The Borisoglebsk-2 combines four different types of jamming stations into a single system with a single control console, allowing the operator to make quick battlefield judgments.

Electronic Warfare Devices Categories

Electronic warfare (EW) is further split into three categories -

Electronic Attack (EA) - The use of electromagnetic energy, directed energy, or anti-radiation weapons to attack personnel, facilities, or equipment with the intent of neutralising enemy combat capability, including human life (previously known as electronic countermeasures (ECM)) is known as an electronic attack (EA). This operation is most generally referred to as "jamming" in the case of EM energy.

Electronic Protection (EP) - Electronic protection (EP) (formerly known as electronic protective measures [EPM] or electronic counter-countermeasures [ECCM]) refers to actions taken to protect friendly forces (personnel, facilities, and equipment) from the effects of friendly or enemy electromagnetic spectrum use that friendly combat capability (EA). EP refers to a player's ability to defeat EA.

☛ Also Read: Current Affairs Today

Electronic warfare support (ES) - Electronic warfare support (ES) is a subset of electronic warfare that entails steps done by an operational commander or operator to detect, intercept, identify, locate, and/or localise sources of radiated electromagnetic (EM) radiation, both intended and inadvertent.

In conclusion, Electronic Warfare (EW) Devices are any combination of EW technologies that are developed and built to accomplish military or intelligence operations on one or more air, ground, sea, or space platforms. Multiple EW devices and scalable subsystems, including several that house multiple devices in one self-contained unit, are typically used in these configurations.

FAQs on Electronic Warfare Devices

Q1. What are some examples of Electronic Warfare Devices?

Anti-Jam Electronic Protection Systems, Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM), Directed Energy Weapons and Geospatial Location and Exploitation Systems are some examples of Electronic Warfare Devices.

Q2. Who are the people that use Electronic Warfare Devices?

Most modern, industrialised nations' military and intelligence organisations are actively using Electronic Warfare Devices and support, either directly or through their allies.

Q3. When were the first Electronic Warfare Devices used?

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905, the first documented consideration of Electronic Warfare Devices was made.

Q4. Which country has the strongest Electronic Warfare System/Devices?

Russia has the strongest Electronic Warfare Devices. They recently unveiled 5 of their most effective Electronic Warfare Devices.