WASHINGTON- The U.S. Air Force long ago recognized that future wars will not solely be fought on ground, sea and air, and to better prepare for that reality the service is kicking off a third study on how it plans to use electronic warfare (EW).
At the Nov. 28 Association of Old Crows’ International Symposium and Convention, Air Force Gen. Stephen Wilson, the service’s vice chief of staff, emphasized his branch’s increased focus on Electronic Ware (EW). As a result, the Air Force is launching the Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team (ECCT) to further research the subject, Breaking Defense reported.
However, Wilson said the Air Force must go beyond simply strengthening what has worked in the past. He emphasized the need for both efficiency and innovation for the team as the Air Force wants EW capabilities that not only have stronger performance, but also adapt to changing conflict environments.
[Read more about EW in our ebook: Electronic Warfare Cyber Convergence]
As a means to facilitate the Air Force’s newfound EW focus, the service awarded L3 a contract to develop the Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft, aka EC-X, as an EW platform. Defense Tech reports that as of now, EC-X’s focus will be on jamming enemy command control communications, such as radio, computers and radar.
ECCT is the third such study the Air Force is undertaking as part of its efforts to better synthesize air, cyber, and space-based combat abilities for future conflict. C4ISRNET had previously reported that these newfound measures, collectively called MDC2, are to ensure that the Air Force is ready for the 2030s military environment, where the focus will be on stifling enemy defense capabilities through multi-domain electronics and cyberspace.
