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https://www.army-technology.com/features/electronic-warfare-technology-trends/
army-technology.com에 실린 전자전 트렌드기사입니다.
1. 능동방어시스템 확산
2. AI: 미육군이 AI툴을 전자전 시스템에 통합해 복잡한 전파주파수 환경에서도 EW 시스템을 운용할 수 있도록 시도하고 있다고 합니다. 2019년 3월 노스롭 그루먼과 9억 8200만 달러 규모의 사이버 전자기 활동(CEMA; Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA)) 체계 획득 계약을 체결했네요.
3. 직접에너지 무기(DEW; Directed energy weapons): 직접에너지 무기가 실용화 단계에 이르렀으며, 리비아 등지에선 실전배치되기도 했습니다. 현재 DEWS는 우선적으로 대무인기용으로 쓰이고 있습니다. 이스라엘은 소형화에 중점을 둔 항공기 장착 DEW를 실험하고 있으며, 러시아는 소형화와 함께 야지기동이 가능하며 출력도 높은 DEW 무기를 개발하기 위해 페레스벳 체계 등을 개발하고 있습니다.
4. 멀티모드 시커: 전자전 환경이 격화되고 각종 대항수단들이 늘어남에 따라 미사일 정확도를 높이기 위해 싱글모드 시커 대신 멀티모드 시커의 필요성이 높아졌습니다.
5. 배회탄약: 배회탄약이 국부적으로 정밀한 탄약을 깔아놓는 능력을 기반으로 UAV나 대전차 미사일 확산처럼 전장의 동역학을 바꾸고 있다고 합니다. 이란은 배회 지대공미사일인 358 미사일 체계를 개발했다고 하네요.
6. 무인플랫폼 개발: 무인기의 비행시간과 페이로드가 늘어나면서 설계자들이 기술발전 및 혁신에 따라 탑재물 설계에 큰 자유를 누리고 있습니다.
(문단 소제목이 빠진 듯 한데) 미국과 호주 등 미국의 동맹국은 A2/AD와 air-sea battle에 집중하며 그라울러, NGJ, NERO 등 항공기탑재 재밍장비에 투자하고 있습니다. 반면 러시아는 전자전 중 특히 전자공격 분야에서 타국의 추격을 뿌리치며 크게 앞서나간 것으로 보이고, 그 외 아시아-태평양 및 중동의 주요국들도 전자전 기술에 많은 투자를 하고 있습니다.
7. 시그니처 매니지먼트: 스텔스 기술만으론 미래 A2/AD 위협에 맞서 싸우기에 불충분하기 때문에, 군장비에 스텔스와 전자전 기술을 통합시키는 것이 향후 전자전 시스템의 주요 요구사항이 될 것으로 보입니다. 일례로, 항공기는 적기의 전파 주파수 전자기적 방출신호를 탐지함과 동시에 자신의 스텔스 능력은 유지해야 될 필요가 있습니다.
만약 저피탐 항공기가 단일 주파수 밴드로만 작전한다면 적기에게 쉽게 탐지될 수 있기 때문에, 스텔스기는 반드시 전자전 능력의 뒷받침을 받아 광범위한 전자 스펙트럼에 걸쳐 작전하며 타격을 도와 줄 재밍 능력을 확보할 필요가 있습니다.
8. 통신: 현재 통신 분야는 전자전 및 사이버전 양 영역에서 공격을 받고 있습니다. 전자전을 통해 전파방출을 통한 통신 파괴나 감청을 시도하며, 사이버전은 통신선(line of codes)을 노립니다.
9. 발전된 전자보호: IED의 위협 때문에 비고정식, 휴대용 재머가 배치되고 있으며, 향후 휴대용 전자전 시스템은 전투능력을 유지하기 위해 더 소형화된 경량 개인보호 장비의 개발이 될 것입니다. 또한 신호를 배리지하지만 동시에 아군 통신까지 막아버리는 현재의 재머 대신 선택적/반작용 재머가 개발될 것입니다.
10. 냉각기술: 열용량이 높고 전도성이 좋은 질화갈륨 화합물은 반도체 재료로 이상적입니다. 신형 질화갈륨 반도체는 수신하는 에너지의 99%를 변환하며 새나가는 에너지는 매우 적기 때문에 위상배열레이더에서 냉각제 탱크를 없앨 수 있습니다.
11. 소형화: 신형 질화갈륨 기술로 위상배열 시스템의 고성능, 고출력, 긴 수명 요구사항을 충족시킬 수 있게 됐습니다. 질화갈륨 장치들은 이전 갈륨비소 장치들에 비해 전력밀도와 대역 용량이 수 배나 늘어났으며, 질화갈륨 앰프를 이용해 AESA 장비를 더 유연하고, 더 작게 만들 수 있게 됐습니다.
12. 전자기 경화(Electromagnetic hardening): 전자기 간섭 및 전자기 펄스 폭탄에 대비해 전자전 장비 경화 대책의 필요성이 증대됐습니다. 이 위협들은 현재의 저강도 분쟁에선 현실화되지 않았으나, 향후 고강도분쟁에선 문제가 될 것입니다.
Electronic Warfare: Technology trends
Credit: zef art/Shutterstock.com.
The demand for electronic warfare (EW) products will be driven by its universal application. There will be a significant spending push in EW technologies, heavily driven by Russian capabilities and increased Chinese aggression.
Listed below are the technology trends impacting the electronic warfare theme, as identified by GlobalData.
Active protection system proliferation
The means of active protection of platforms is being proliferated more widely, because of the increased threat of guided and fire-and-forget munitions in the peer-to-peer context.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
The US Army is trying to integrate AI tools into its electronic warfare capabilities so that EW systems can operate in the dense radio frequency environment of the battlefield. In March 2019, the country signed an agreement worth $982m with Northrop Grumman to acquire state of art Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) capabilities for the US Army. The contract will support research and development for cyber and electronic warfare, integration, testing, performance verification, technical support, cybersecurity, and laboratory demonstrations.
Directed energy weapons
Directed energy weapons are reaching maturity, and have been fielded in areas such as Libya, for example. As yet, primary use has been in the counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) role. Israel has experimented with directed energy weapons (DEWs) on airborne platforms, a reflection of how far miniaturisation has become. The two primary directions of these programmes have been miniaturisation and power output and mobility, such as Russia’s Peresvet system with a focus on a larger mobile system for use at the operational level.
Multi-mode seekers
Increased EW competition means multi-mode seekers are necessary, increasing the possibility of striking the enemy with the finite magazine depth available. Increased means of countermeasures means multi-mode seekers are more viable than increasing the number of single mode missiles with different seekers, despite the latter offering cost advantages in the costing of missiles alone.
Loitering munitions
Loitering munitions have come of age and are a significant factor in EW and Command and Control now. The ability to deploy localised precision munitions, particularly in the absence of valuable and vulnerable platforms in range, is changing the battlefield dynamic in much the same way as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) proliferation or anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) proliferation. An interesting development is the apparent loitering Surface to Air Missile, known as the 358 missile, Iran has created.
ASCOD is the platform for the future, says GDELS VP LinerosUnmanned platform developments
Specifically, in the case of UAVs, which have high endurance levels and are capable of carrying more weight during take-off, payload developers have a significant amount of freedom while designing payloads, which is driving technology advancement and innovation.
The US and its allies, such as Australia, are focusing on anti-access/area denial (A2AD) and air-sea battles and are investing substantially in airborne jamming technologies such as the F-18G Growler attack aircraft, Next Generation Jammer (NGJ), and NERO. Such investments by the US in EW systems are also a result of the Russia-Ukraine confrontation scenario which was an overwhelming display of Russian EW capabilities.
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Russia is reported to have achieved unparalleled technological advancements in electronic warfare, especially the electronic attack segment. Other major regions projected to make extensive investments in EW technologies include the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
Signature management
The need to integrate stealth technology and electronic warfare systems into military equipment is anticipated to act as a major demand driver for EW systems, as stealth technology on its own will not be sufficient to combat A2/AD threats in the future. For example, an aircraft is required to be able to detect radio frequency electromagnetic emissions of enemy aircraft while simultaneously leveraging its own stealth capabilities.
If a low observable aircraft operates in a single frequency band, it would be easily detected by adversary aircraft which is why stealth aircraft must be supported by EW capabilities so that they can operate over the extensive range of the electronic spectrum and possess jamming capabilities to take care of air strikes.
Communications
Communications are under significant attack across two primary areas: electronic warfare and cyberwarfare. The former deals with disruption or interception through emissions, whereas the latter deals with lines of code. In the instance of EW, communications hardening and increased jamming and intercept capabilities are currently in an ongoing development and fielding race, with techniques also undergoing rapid evolution. The sudden move to a non-permissive environment has increased barriers to intercepting enemy communications and other electronics intelligence (ELINT) efforts, at the same time as imposing new and high demands for communications security.
Advanced electronic protection
Faced with the increasing threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), militaries across the globe are armed with dismounted and portable jammers. The increasing focus on portable EW systems will facilitate the development of smaller lightweight personal protection devices to improve war fighting capabilities.
Moreover, R&D trends are increasingly directed towards the development of jammers that will have selective and reactive jamming capabilities, rather than current generation jammers that simply barrage the environment with signals, but also block friendly communications. With an anticipated rise in sea-based operations over the forecast period, the focus on jamming and/or identifying radar and other electronic signals are expected to increase.
The airborne electronic attack payload of the US Department of Defence (DoD) includes the Next Generation Jammer, the AN/ALQ-99 tactical jamming system used by EA6B Prowler aircraft, and the Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer. The US Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) is designed to upgrade the AN/SLQ-32 EW system for EW defence against cruise missiles and other radar threats.
Cooling technology
Gallium nitride (GaN), is a compound known for its incredibly high heat capacity and conductivity, making it an ideal material for semiconductors. Newer Gallium nitride semiconductors convert 99% of the energy they receive and bleed much less energy so separate coolant tanks are no longer necessary for these parts of a phased radar. The amplifiers based on GaN technology are widely used in various applications such as radars, electronic warfare, and communication links.
The second generation of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars features GaN-based Transmitter-Receivers Modules (TRM) which not only improves scanning performance but also outperforms travelling wave tube amplifier-based phased array radars in terms of range and peak output power.
Miniaturisation
Due to the transition to phased-array antennas and cognitive EW capability the complexity and volume of electronic components is increasing. Modem AESA manufacturers are working on utilising GaN solid-state power amplifiers as space, cooling, and power are restrictive in newer technologies.
The newer GaN technology meets stringent high-performance, high-power, and long lifecycle demands of phased array systems. GaN technology also has greater power density and bandwidth capacity that is many times greater than gallium-arsenide (GaA) devices. Through the use of these multiple, compact GaN amplifiers the AESA achieves a much higher level of flexibility. It also helps in reducing the size of the radar system.
Electromagnetic hardening
Peer conflict means there will now be an increased need to harden against electromagnetic interference, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) munitions. This threat type was not present through operations in low intensity conflict (LIC), but the peer environment means this is a very significant threat.
This is an edited extract from the Electronic Warfare Market – Thematic Research report produced by GlobalData Thematic Research.
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