EW
Electronic Warfare
Electronic Warfare encompasses all military actions that use electromagnetic energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum, including jamming, deception, and electronic intelligence gathering.
Electronic Warfare (EW) is the military discipline concerned with controlling and exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum. It is divided into three pillars: Electronic Attack (EA), which includes jamming and electromagnetic deception; Electronic Protection (EP), which defends friendly systems against enemy electronic attack; and Electronic Warfare Support (ES), which detects, identifies, and locates enemy electromagnetic emissions for intelligence and targeting purposes.
EW has become increasingly critical as modern militaries depend on radar, communications, GPS navigation, and datalinks for virtually every function. The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated the tactical importance of electronic warfare, with both sides using jamming to defeat GPS-guided weapons, disrupt drone control links, and trigger or block electronic fuses on artillery shells.
Major military powers maintain dedicated EW platforms including the U.S. EA-18G Growler and EC-130H Compass Call, Russia's Krasukha ground-based jamming systems, and China's growing electronic warfare capabilities. The integration of artificial intelligence into EW systems promises to accelerate the speed of the electromagnetic battle, with AI algorithms detecting and responding to new threat signals faster than human operators ever could.
Related Terms
ECM(Electronic Countermeasures)
Electronic Countermeasures are actions taken to deny, degrade, or exploit an adversary's use of the electromagnetic spectrum, including jamming radar and communications.
ECCM(Electronic Counter-Countermeasures)
Electronic Counter-Countermeasures are techniques and technologies used by radar and communication systems to resist or overcome enemy jamming and electronic attack.
SIGINT(Signals Intelligence)
Signals Intelligence is intelligence derived from intercepting and analyzing electronic signals, including communications (COMINT) and non-communication emissions like radar (ELINT).
Related Articles
How Russia's Electronic Warfare Blinded Ukrainian Drones, and How Ukraine Fought Back
Russia deployed the densest electronic warfare environment in modern history to neutralize Ukraine's drone advantage. GPS signals vanished, HIMARS accuracy plummeted, and FPV drones lost their video feeds mid-flight. Then Ukraine adapted with fiber-optic tethers, $70 AI vision modules, and autonomous navigation, turning the invisible battlefield into the defining contest of the war.