The Army is bringing new electronic warfare prototypes home

A suite of electronic warfare capabilities developed to specifically counter Russian advancement in Europe will now be fielded to an Army unit within the United States.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division is the first stateside unit to receive EW prototypes as a means of creating soldier familiarity with the systems prior to deployment overseas, as well as creating a greater EW knowledge base within the community.

The capabilities, according to an Army release, include mounted, dismounted and command-and-control systems for electronic sensing and jamming.

These capabilities, delivered in large part by the service’s Rapid Capabilities Office, have been with units in Europe for some time, having been developed under operational needs statements in response to capability caps against Russian systems.

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Designed to close gaps in the short term, they include the VROD, which surveys the field from an electromagnetic perspective; VMAX, which provides a limited electronic attack capability; and an additional capability to the electromagnetic spectrum command-and-control tool called EW Planning and Management Tool. The EWPMT add-on, called Raven Claw, enables planning and management on the move and without network connection.

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Officials have explained how these interim prototyped capabilities will inform requirements and perform risk reduction for larger, more permanent solutions.

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