Airbus trails new electronic protection systems

Airbus Defence and Space’s Business Line Electronics has successfully completed a series of field demonstrations of a new generation of electronic protection systems in a Northern European country.

During the testing, the company demonstrated the electronic warfare systems’ ability to provide troops operating in the world’s hot spots with a level of protection under extreme winter weather conditions, which was previously unachievable.

The trials focused on jamming modern frequency-hopping radios over relatively great distances.

Airbus Defence and Space has developed the systems to meet the customers’ changing requirements for more compact, mobile systems that can integrate the electronic warfare tasks.

The intelligence systems feature the ability to produce targeted jamming signals for defined frequencies eliminating the use of dedicated equipment which was not very mobile, while reducing a lot of power and space.

With focus on targeted jamming of remote-controlled roadside bombs (RCIEDs), the company developed the Smart Responsive Jamming technology which can detect ignition signals in a fraction of a second and targets just the frequency of the hostile signal.

The technology offers protection to vehicle convoys travelling through dangerous areas as well as guarding explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams, against the delayed triggering of roadside bombs.

The newly integrated SMARTscout intelligence system also demonstrated its ability in the area of communications intelligence (COMINT).

Image: Protection system being tested onboard a vehicle under extreme winter weather conditions. Photo: courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space.