Future Trends in EW Technology

The evolution of EW technology and concepts is driven by various factors, which include changing operational requirements and technology advances. Future systems will provide significant capability enhancements and other benefits:

1. The development and widespread deployment of capable cell phone networks and their adoption for military purposes means that ES, even at the tactical level, cannot be limited to explicitly military communication systems;

2. Requirements to shorten development cycles and reduce cost will favor increasing use of commercial- off-the-shelf technology and open standards. The implementation of digital signal processing algorithms in software running on general purpose processors and hardware based on field-programmable gate array technology provides a combination of flexibility and performance;

3. Specialized systems will tend to be replaced by multifunction systems. The concept of integrating ES and EA functionality with communication and radar systems will receive increasing attention (33);

4. Networking of EW assets and technical advances will tend to blur the distinction between tactical and strategic EW;

5. Simulators and other aids are being developed to provide realistic scenarios for EW training without requiring large-scale exercises and/or expensive equipment;

6. Models and simulations will be increasingly used to assess EW effectiveness with the aim of determining appropriate system design trade-offs and contributing to the development of EW doctrine;

7. Automated ES and EA systems will be added to the sensors carried by UAVs and platforms such as reconnaissance vehicles;

8. Smart antennas will improve the robustness of communication systems in a jamming environment;
9. The future development of aircraft and naval platforms will place increasing emphasis on signature management;
10. Decoys will be increasingly used for platform protection.

In practice, the application of technical advances will be moderated by various practical issues: There are always competing priorities for personnel and funding. Sophisticated EW systems are often very expensive to develop and deploy and can be quickly rendered obsolescent by technology advances and changing application requirements.

The development of sophisticated defense electronics systems presents formidable challenges. Many systems fall far short of initial expectations for various reasons, which range from faulty technology or trade-off analyses, the failure of anticipated technical advances to materialize, and changing application requirements.

The problems involved with the introduction of advanced technology systems into service are considerable:
- Integration into platforms;
- Integration with other systems;

- Provisions made for maintenance;
- Development of suitable doctrine;
- Provisions for interoperability with allied forces;
- Training of users.

It is very easy to underestimate some of these issues. An otherwise capable system may be completely unsuitable for service use if the user interface is poorly thought out. A system may work well in the hands of skilled engineers who have an intimate understanding of its operation, but, in an operational environment, it may be virtually unusable by service personnel, even if they have substantial training and experience.

Another common problem is that communications capacity required for the networking of battlefield sensors may not be available, or, if provided by communication satellites, may be prohibitively expensive.