EW and directed warfare are leading technologies for solving Army problems in scenarios where nonlethal (i.e., no permanent injury) or less than lethal (i.e., could suffer serious injury) force is required.

Figure IV–8 illustrates directed energy weapons (DEW) and jamming applications on the battlefield. Figure IV–9 depicts the electronic power relationships between EW jammers and RF–DEWs.

Figure IV-8. Battlefield Applications of DEW and Jamming

As the roles, missions, and capabilities of today’s Army evolve into the 21st century, so then does the role of EW. Dominance of the electromagnetic spectrum based on the ability to use and deny its use by others at will is dependent on industry, academia, the other services, and a robust program to sustain the Army’s unique requirements on the electronic battlefield. As threat systems become more complex, the need to develop EW systems that can respond to changing environments is critical to superior battlefield surveillance and survivability. Technology to collect, recognize, and process complex wave forms and provide effective jamming are essential. Knowledge–based systems using artificial intelligence and adaptive parallel distributed processing can provide "smart" software control to maintain an edge on a dense signal battlefield.

Develop the technologies that provide the capability to intercept and bring under EA advanced communications signals being used by adversarial C² networks on the digital battlefield. Through EA strategies demonstrated with prototype hardware and software, these digital communications signals will be disrupted, denied, or modified to render the communications system ineffective and unreliable to the threat command and control function. Near–term goals are to demonstrate electronic attack against a set of digital formats being implemented in commercial communications systems and data transmission systems. Mid–term goals are to demonstrate the ability to disrupt other commercial communication networks and wide bandwidth communications. Long–term goals include the ability to surgically attack specific users within a nonobtrusive means while maintaining the overall integrity of the targeted communications network.

Development of sensor and countermeasure technologies is a complex chess game of trying to outplay your opponent, betting that your defensive systems can outmatch his offensive capabilities. Advanced technology and tactics are the last line of defense where a time span of 2 seconds or less can mean the difference between winning or losing. Technology goals include development of multifunctional/multispectral IR countermeasures, radar and laser warning, and countermeasures that can provide both self– and area–protection of air and ground platforms, as well as targeting and real–time situational awareness at the fighting station(s). Near–term goals include demonstration of a beam coupler for the DARPA laser/antitank infrared countermeasures (IRCM) point/tracker, the evaluation of IRCM techniques for top attack threats for ground vehicles, and the demonstration of an RF sensor and ECM modulator with the capability to locate, deceive, and jam monopulse and phased array radars from ultra high frequency (UHF) through millimeter wavebands. Mid–term goals include development of countermeasures for advanced EO/IR missiles using imaging seekers, and the continued development of advanced RF countermeasures with low–cost fingerprinting for signal sorting, jamming, targeting, and combat identification. Long–term goals include initiatives to develop integrated RF/IR/laser sensors and countermeasures against advanced EO/IR surface–to–air missiles and horizontal/top attack smart munitions.

The increasing use of common carrier commercial communications networks by potential adversaries presents the major technical challenge. We must be able to separate the threat–relevant communications from the purely commercial traffic and perform effective EW without disrupting the entire network. These targeted communication systems are characterized as adaptive sophisticated digital networks and modulation schemes that employ various layers of protocol and user protection.

Technology challenges also include development of uncooled, low false alarm rate detectors with <1 degree angle of attack (AOA) accuracy, development of multicolor IR focal plane array (FPA) (Navy/Air Force program), missile detection algorithms, and development of more efficient, low–cost, temperature stable IR/UV filters. The development of advanced high–speed wideband digital receivers using a GaAs microscan design approach, and the development of high power ultra–wideband digital RF memory (DRFM) jamming modulators and transmitter sources from A through M bands using MPM, MMIC, and fiber–optic remoting of sensors and transmitters. Precision AOA for situational awareness and targeting.

As modern communication systems evolve, the overall goal is to develop the technology required to provide an electronic support/electronic attack ( ES/EA) capability to intercept and counter these new priority threats and to provide the battlefield commander with the tactical intelligence products that contribute to his ability to accomplish his mission. Near–term goals include the downsizing of existing bulky components to provide a rapidly deployable capability and the conversion from special–purpose processors and software to a general–purpose suite. The intent is also to provide the ability to specifically tailor and reprogram these systems quickly, locally or remotely, to meet the current and changing threat. Mid–term goals include development of signal processing techniques that provide effective ES against common carrier, multiple access commercial communications in order to identify, locate, and exploit threat users. Another goal is the development of the tools required to display increasingly complex data to the soldier operators in support of the IEW mission. The long–term goal includes the continued development of adaptive sensor technologies that can perform the ES mission as the use of increasingly more complex communication systems continues to evolve.

The increasing use of common carrier commercial communications networks by potential adversaries presents the major technical challenge. This implies the need for advanced front–end receiver architectures and signal processing techniques capable of providing ES mission functions against increasingly complex signal modulation methods and structures coupled to higher data rates and user protection schemes.

DEW includes laser, high power radio frequency (HPRF), and particle beam technologies. (HPRF technology is frequently called high power microwave (HPM) or RF directed energy.)

Electronic equipment can be defeated or impaired by irradiation from directed energy (DE) sources. Degradation can range from temporary "upsets" in electronics subsystems, permanent circuit deterioration, or permanent destruction due to burnout or electrical overload. As modern systems and their components become ever more reliant on sophisticated electronics, they also become more vulnerable to DE radiation. The Army’s DE program priority is to assess potential vulnerability of U.S. systems to unintentional irradiation "fratricide" by our DE–capable systems as well as intentional irradiation by enemy DE systems. DE hardening technology is being developed to mitigate both of these threats. In addition, the Army S&T program provides sources and components to support the susceptibility assessment program, support possible future applications, and avoid technological surprise from an adversary’s breakthrough.

Near–term goals for RF–DE weapons are (1) the development of new HPRF source concepts, such as the interference modulation HPM source concept and frequency agile, broadband klystrons for use in susceptibility testing and in field tests, and (2) RF–DE weapons hardening for MMIC circuits used in Army systems. A mid–term goal is the development of high–gain, broadband antennas. Long–term goals include development of silicon carbide hardening devices and use of chaos theory research results to achieve greater control of RF–DE weapon sources.

High power RF generators need to be smaller, lighter, and more fuel efficient. Projected targets require intensive susceptibility studies to determine the best attack methods. These technical challenges will be overcome by concentrating technology development efforts on improving modulators, RF sources, and antennas. Improvements to reduce size, weight, and power requirements must also be accomplished by enhancements to radiation beam control.

Compact, high efficiency lasers are critical for electro–optical countermeasures (EOCM), IRCM, and DEW applications. The maturation of diode pumped lasers, nonlinear frequency conversion techniques, and advanced laser design have made it feasible to incorporate these devices into tactical vehicles and aircraft for self–protection and missile defense. The challenge is to demonstrate the required power levels in a compact package for Army applications and to scale the power to higher levels for future needs.

In FY96, a DARPA/tri–service program demonstrated compact solid–state mid–IR lasers that would meet Army ATD requirements. That program increased available power by an order of magnitude. As a result, optically and electronically pumped solid–state lasers for IRCM applications that will transition to EMD by FY00 should have significantly lower cost, size, and power consumption. These lasers are being developed under a management agreement between DARPA and the services. Other recent accomplishments include the 1996 demonstration of technology for an active tracker system used in IRCM/EOCM applications to provide precision pointing and atmospheric compensation, the FY97 breadboard demonstration of a DARPA/Army 10 joule/100 hertz (Hz) diode pumped laser (DAPKL) and the development of a wide pulse IRCM laser with Lincoln Laboratories.

The major challenge to scaling the mid–infrared lasers is the development of an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) that can handle the higher average powers without damage. Other issues include packaging lasers for use on aircraft and cost reduction of laser diode arrays. A longer term challenge will be the scaling of compact solid–state lasers to higher powers for standoff directed energy applications.

The roadmap of technology objectives for Electronic Warfare/Directed Energy Weapons is shown in Table IV–22.

The influence of this technology area on TRADOC FOCs is summarized in Table IV–23.