The electronic warfare (EW) business of BAE Systems is the world leader in this “least understood discipline,”according to vicepresident and general manager Jerry Wohletz. In a rare media briefing at the recent Farnborough airshow, he noted that the Nashua, N.H.-based business has produced more than 12,000 tactical systems in its 60-year history.

Wohletz said that the company’s EW systems are flying on more than 80 platforms. They include infrared countermeasures systems (IRCMs). They protect 80 percent of U.S. military fixed-wing aircraft, including AC-130s, MC-130s, F-15s, F-16s and the U-2. He particularly noted the role of BAE Systems as prime integrator on the EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack aircraft, and its position on the F-15. Having supplied the Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS) for the Eagle since 2008, BAE Systems was selected last year to design a new, all-digital system named Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) for the U.S. Air Force fleet.

BAE Systems provides EW and IRCM systems for all three of the U.S. Air Force stealth aircraft: the B-2, F-22 and F-35. The F-22 system marked the transition from analog to digital systems, and led to a breakthrough in field-convertible gate arrays, he said. The F-35 system is designated AN/ASQ-239, and is a fullyintegrated platform-level solution that provides offensive and defensive capability across the spectrum from RF to IR.     

Wohletz said that current developments include "small form factor" systems to protect UAVs and even expendable weapons such as the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). Future developments include "cognitive" EW using intelligent algorithms to detect and jam previouslyunknown threats, and "net-centric" EW where multiple platforms share threat detection.

Asked about the often-touted ability of AESA radars to perform electronic attack, Wohletz said that “many customers are trying to figure that out. It’s not clear where the overlap [with EW systems] is.”