The growing threat of space

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $35.1 million, 20-month contract for the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Low Band, part of the jamming pods that will be outfitted onto EA-18 Growler aircraft to replace the legacy ALQ-99 GSM jammer.The same principal also applies to any other form of RF jamming, such as drone jamming, WiFi and GPS jamming, etc.The Russians also deployed R.F.-signal jammer for sale to Syria to protect Moscow’s installations in that country. The new Silok jammer joined the Russian force in Syria in August 2018.

The companies also will help the Navy use open-systems architectures — particularly the ability to upgrade tactical jammer subsystems easily — to enhance the long term system viability of a future low-band tactical jammer, and upgrade the system as necessary to keep pace with evolving threats.Silok is the latest in a long line of radio-frequency-cell phone jammer systems that the Russian military has deployed since the Cold War in order to block enemy communications, including the radio links that allow the operators to control drones — and drones to send back video and other intelligence data.

While late-night comedians found the whole idea of the Space Force hilarious, the reality is that the United States faces growing threats from space. These include not only anti-satellite missiles that can shatter satellites into thousands of pieces of debris, but lasers capable of “dazzling” and blinding satellite systems, as well as cyber and jammer threats. The range of potential space adversaries includes not only Russia and China, but, as the vice president noted, also Iran and North Korea.

The rise of electronic warfare has meant the U.S. Army is increasingly facing contested, congested environments. One of the clearest examples is Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, where the Russians utilized sophisticated jamming techniques to block communications and geolocate units based upon their signature in the electromagnetic spectrum.IMI’s IRON FIST sensor suite provides the vehicle and crew with a day/night 360º situational awareness, and its APS incorporates two layers of protection: Soft-Kill, using an electro-optic directional jammer, and Hard-Kill, based on interception of the threat at a safe distance from the defended platform.