Leonardo has introduced a new electronic warfare (EW) solution, BriteStorm, designed for uncrewed systems to help military forces combat increasingly sophisticated air defense systems.
As global tensions rise and airspace becomes more contested, the demand for innovative EW technologies to counter advanced Integrated Air Defence Systems (IADS) has never been greater.
Modern air defense systems are equipped with advanced ground-based radars and surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems capable of detecting and targeting aircraft at greater distances. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, in particular, demonstrated the potential of air defense systems to deny air superiority.
BriteStorm provides much-needed protection for crewed and uncrewed platforms in this evolving threat environment by disrupting enemy radar and communications systems. Unlike traditional stand-off jammers, which require large, expensive crewed platforms operating from a distance, BriteStorm offers a stand-in jamming capability.
Reducing risks to strategic assets with uncrewed stand-in jamming
This compact and adaptable payload can be deployed closer to enemy defenses by being fitted onto drones, such as the various uncrewed systems with fighter-like flying capabilities being developed to accompany the sixth generation of fighter jets. In the UK’s Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), these uncrewed systems are known as adjuncts.
This allows BriteStorm-equipped platforms to penetrate enemy defenses and carry out stand-in jamming operations, reducing the risk to valuable, larger strategic assets such as the EA-37B Compass Call, the Boeing EA-18G Growler, or the Eurofighter Typhoon ECR currently under development by Airbus.
“There’s always been a desire to have your jamming systems close-in to the threat, which means you need relatively less power for what’s known as stand-in jamming,” explains Andrew Ingram, Head of Electronic Warfare Capability at Leonardo.
The BriteStorm’s Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology allows it to deploy various electronic countermeasures, from generating ‘ghost’ aircraft signatures to overwhelming enemy radars with electronic noise. These techniques create confusion within enemy IADS, preventing them from accurately detecting or targeting oncoming forces.
Leonardo mentioned that BriteStorm has undergone testing, integration work, and live trials as it progresses through its development process.