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Sky Shield

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Electromagnetic warfare or electronic warfare ( EW ) is warfare involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy operations. The purpose of electromagnetic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of—and ensure friendly unimpeded access to—the EM spectrum . Electromagnetic warfare can be applied from air , sea , land , or space by crewed and uncrewed systems, and can target communication , radar , or other military and civilian assets.

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54-397: Sky Shield is an advanced airborne electronic warfare system for fighter jets developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel. The electronic warfare pod is an all-inclusive multi-purpose escort jammer and electronic attack system. Sky Shield engages enemy radars in hostile environments, providing comprehensive electronic countermeasures against enemy threats. The system creates

108-695: A $ 1.1 billion contract with India to install three EL/W-2090 AWACS systems on Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 transports, which are based in part on IAI's earlier EL/M-2075 Phalcon platform which was developed in the 1990s. In the late 2000s IAI developed the follow-on EL/W-2085 system which is installed on heavily modified Gulfstream G550 aircraft and which besides serving in the IAF were also sold to Singapore and Italy. On 6 November 2006, IAI changed its corporate name from "Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd." to "Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd."; to more accurately reflect

162-406: A corridor for multiple attacking aircraft, thus increasing aircraft survivability in time and providing attack options. The Sky Shield pod covers the frequency spectrum range from D band to Ku band and includes a digital interferometer system for signal detection, a DRFM -based technique generator and a modular solid-state active electronically scanned array transmitter for jamming. The system

216-497: A discipline overlapping with ES, is the related process of analyzing and identifying intercepted transmissions from sources such as radio communication, mobile phones , radar , or microwave communication . SIGINT is broken into two categories: electronic intelligence ( ELINT ) and communications intelligence ( COMINT ). Analysis parameters measured in signals of these categories can include frequency , bandwidth , modulation , and polarization . The distinction between SIGINT and ES

270-459: A measure used to protect against an electronic enemy attack (EA) or to protect against friendly forces who unintentionally deploy the equivalent of an electronic attack on friendly forces. (sometimes called EW fratricide ). The effectiveness of electronic protection (EP) level is the ability to counter an electronic attack (EA). Flares are often used to distract infrared homing missiles into missing their target. The use of flare rejection logic in

324-525: A number of advanced technologies that IAI was able to market. By 1989 IAI posted a profit of $ 11.8 million on sales of $ 1.28 billion. The company had four divisions—Aircraft, Aviation, Electronics, and Technologies—and 17 factories. IAI was established as a world leader in upgrading aircraft. Planes such as the Vietnam-era McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II were modernized with advanced avionics and weaponry. In

378-679: A training camp at Tel Azia, in Lebanon . The only air victory claimed by a Kfir during its service with the IAF occurred on 27 June 1979 when a Kfir C.2 shot down a Syrian MiG-21 . The IAI Kfir has been exported to Colombia , Ecuador , Sri Lanka and was leased to the US Navy and the US Marine Corps from 1985 to 1989, to act as adversary aircraft in dissimilar air combat training . In 1969 IAI acquired North American Rockwell 's Jet Commander series of business aircraft. This became

432-559: Is Israel 's major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 14,000 employees as of 2021. IAI is state-owned by the government of Israel. IAI designs, develops, produces and maintains civil aircraft, drones , fighter aircraft , missile , avionics , and space-based systems. IAI's main focus is engineering, aviation and high-tech electronics, though it also manufactures military systems for ground and naval forces. Many of these products are centered on

486-662: Is a member of the prestigious Trace International and Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) organizations and recognized in the Transparency International April 2015 report to be in the top third of worldwide defense companies for its ethics and anti-corruption programs. In April 2018, IAI systems were observed in a film made by the Azerbaijan Army , specifically the IAI Harop loitering munition system, resulting in criticism from

540-755: Is a practice range that provides training for personnel operating in electronic warfare. There are two examples of such ranges in Europe : one at RAF Spadeadam in the northwest county of Cumbria , England, and the Multinational Aircrew Electronic Warfare Tactics Facility Polygone range on the border between Germany and France. EWTRs are equipped with ground-based equipment to simulate electronic warfare threats that aircrew might encounter on missions. Other EW training and tactics ranges are available for ground and naval forces as well. Antifragile EW

594-624: Is a step beyond standard EP, occurring when a communications link being jammed actually increases in capability as a result of a jamming attack, although this is only possible under certain circumstances such as reactive forms of jamming. Electronic warfare support (ES) is a subdivision of EW involving actions taken by an operational commander or operator to detect, intercept, identify, locate, and/or localize sources of intended and unintended radiated electromagnetic (EM) energy. These Electronic Support Measures (ESM) aim to enable immediate threat recognition focuses on serving military service needs even in

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648-485: Is a suite of countermeasure systems fitted primarily to aircraft for the purpose of protecting the host from weapons fire and can include, among others: directional infrared countermeasures ( DIRCM , flare systems and other forms of infrared countermeasures for protection against infrared missiles; chaff (protection against radar-guided missiles); and DRFM decoy systems (protection against radar-targeted anti-aircraft weapons). An electronic warfare tactics range (EWTR)

702-901: Is addressing the other NATO defense lines of development. Primary EW activities have been developed over time to exploit the opportunities and vulnerabilities that are inherent in the physics of EM energy . Activities used in EW include electro-optical, infrared and radio frequency countermeasures; EM compatibility and deception; radio jamming , radar jamming and deception and electronic counter-countermeasures (or anti-jamming); electronic masking, probing, reconnaissance, and intelligence; electronic security; EW reprogramming; emission control; spectrum management; and wartime reserve modes. Electronic warfare consists of three major subdivisions: electronic attack (EA), electronic protection (EP), and electronic warfare support (ES). Electronic attack (EA), also known as electronic countermeasures (ECM), involves

756-453: Is an element of offensive and defensive counterinformation. NATO has a different and arguably more encompassing and comprehensive approach to EW. A military committee conceptual document from 2007, MCM_0142 Nov 2007 Military Committee Transformation Concept for Future NATO Electronic Warfare , recognised the EME as an operational maneuver space and warfighting environment/domain. In NATO, EW

810-795: Is considered to be warfare in the EME. NATO has adopted simplified language which parallels those used in other warfighting environments like maritime, land, and air/space. For example, an electronic attack (EA) is offensive use of EM energy, electronic defense (ED), and electronic surveillance (ES). The use of the traditional NATO EW terms, electronic countermeasures (ECM), electronic protective measures (EPM), and electronic support measures (ESM) has been retained as they contribute to and support electronic attack (EA), electronic defense (ED) and electronic surveillance (ES). Besides EW, other EM operations include intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), and signals intelligence (SIGINT). Subsequently, NATO has issued EW policy and doctrine and

864-454: Is determined by the controller of the collection assets, the information provided, and the intended purpose of the information. Electronic warfare support is conducted by assets under the operational control of a commander to provide tactical information, specifically threat prioritization, recognition, location, targeting, and avoidance. However, the same assets and resources that are tasked with ES can simultaneously collect information that meets

918-928: The Armenian government concerning the supply of Israeli arms to the Azeri army. In 2019, IAI sells drone defense systems to governments to be placed in sensitive areas such as borders, army bases, or power plans, and provides equipment to shoot down military drones as well. It also sells to clients such as airports looking to protect against consumer drones. IAI in 2019 is Israel’s major aerospace and defense manufacturer. It released its Popstar system in September 2019, which "can detect and track drones up to 4 km away in day or night". IAI advised customers in December 2019 not to fly some Boeing 737 freighters it had converted, after IAI said it detected an "apparent irregularity" in

972-693: The Bayraktar TB2 had a life expectancy of about six flights. By summer 2022, only some one-third of Ukrainian UAV missions could be said to have been successful, as EW had contributed to Ukraine losing 90% of the thousands of drones it had at the beginning of the invasion. Russian EW capacity to disrupt GPS signals is credited with the reduction in the success of Ukrainian usage of HIMARS and JDAM bombs. The failure of GPS guidance forces these weapons, in particular JDAMS, to use inertial navigation system which reduces accuracy from around 5 metres (15 ft) down to around 27 metres (90 ft). Ukraine

1026-654: The Elta Electronics Industries subsidiary developed an inexpensive aircraft radar which would become a successful export item. In the 1970s IAI developed the Dabur class patrol boat . In the 1970s IAI also entered the Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market with the development of the IAI Scout . In 1984, IAI formed a joint venture with rival Israeli company Tadiran to market both companies' UAV's,

1080-531: The Euphrates River , modeled after a North Korean reactor and supposedly financed with Iranian assistance. Some reports say Israeli EW systems deactivated all of Syria's air defense systems for the entire period of the raid. In December 2010, the Russian Army deployed their first land-based multifunctional electronic warfare system known as Borisoglebsk 2 , developed by Sozvezdie . Development of

1134-744: The IAI Arava short take-off and landing transport aircraft, first flew in 1969 after three years of development. In response to the French embargo , IAI began developing its own fighter aircraft, a derivative of the Mirage 5 called the IAI Nesher ("hawk"), in 1968. The Nesher entered service in 1971, in time for the Yom Kippur War . The Nesher was followed by the IAI Kfir ("lion cub"), which

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1188-621: The Tadiran Mastiff and the IAI Scout . By 1980s the original Bedek maintenance business was conducting extensive overhauls on dozens of different aircraft types, working on engines as well as airframes and interiors, IAI could provide more comprehensive refurbishments than even the aircraft manufacturers themselves. The unit had 4,000 employees by the mid-1980s and overhauled a huge range of aircraft, from propeller-driven trainers to airliners; including big civil aviation programs, such as conversion of Boeing 747s to freighters. In 1980

1242-741: The 1990s IAI entered the space race with the AMOS communications satellites , Ofeq observation satellites and the Shavit space launcher. In December 1997, the IAI Galaxy , a business jet with an intercontinental range developed as a joint venture Galaxy Aerospace with the Hyatt Corporation , made its first flight and entered service in 2000. In May 2001, General Dynamics' Gulfstream Aerospace bought IAI's Galaxy Aerospace Co. L.P. unit for $ 330 million, although IAI continues to perform most of

1296-519: The Egyptian front during the first day of the war, when Israel's more capable combat aircraft were deployed against Arab air bases and aircraft. They were then deployed against Jordanian forces, including armour, on the West Bank . The Magister proved effective at the close-support mission albeit with heavy casualties, with six being lost. The first aircraft to be fully designed and built by IAI,

1350-647: The Government of Israel decided to use the experience IAI had accumulated to develop and manufacture a modern fighter plane to be the mainstay of the Israel Air Force . The aircraft, called the IAI Lavi , was to be a superior attack aircraft with advanced weapons systems. It had its rollout in July 1986 and successful maiden flight in December 1986. In August 1987, after extensive government deliberations,

1404-580: The Japanese communications link by attempting to transmit a stronger radio signal over the Shinano Maru's signal, hoping to distort the Japanese signal at the receiving end. Russian Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky refused the advice and denied the Ural permission to electronically jam the enemy, which in those circumstances might have proved invaluable. The intelligence the Japanese gained ultimately led to

1458-506: The Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet said its initial usage caused concern within NATO. A Russian blog described Borisoglebsk-2 thus: The 'Borisoglebsk-2', when compared to its predecessors, has better technical characteristics: wider frequency bandwidth for conducting radar collection and jamming, faster scanning times of the frequency spectrum, and higher precision when identifying

1512-538: The assembly and development of the jets which are marketed by Gulfstream. In 2003, Israel Aircraft Industries attempted to enter the VLJ ( very light jet ) Market by launching the Avocet ProJet , a 6–8 seat high utilization air taxi with a list price almost half the cost of the least expensive business jet available at that time. In early 2006, ProJet development stalled after a major undisclosed US OEM pulled out of

1566-599: The basis for the IAI Westwind line. Work on an improved Westwind – named the Astra – began in the late 1970s by stretching the fuselage and designing a new swept wing, with the first prototype flight occurring on 19 March 1984. The first production Astra flew on 20 March 1985, FAA certification came on 29 August 1985 and customer deliveries started in 1986. In the 1960s, IAI developed the Gabriel anti-ship missile and

1620-464: The battle, although many were defeated by Vietnamese ECCM. In 2007, an Israeli attack on a suspected Syrian nuclear site during Operation Outside the Box (or Operation Orchard ) used electronic warfare systems to disrupt Syrian air defenses while Israeli jets crossed much of Syria, bombed their targets, and returned to Israel undeterred. The target was a suspected nuclear reactor under construction near

1674-557: The case of anti-radiation weapons, this often includes missiles or bombs that can home in on a specific signal (radio or radar) and follow that path directly to impact, thus destroying the system broadcasting. In November 2021, Israel Aerospace Industries announced a new electronic warfare system named Scorpius that can disrupt radar and communications from ships, UAVs , and missiles simultaneously and at varying distances. On 8 September 2024, Russian drones entered both Romanian and Latvian airspace. Romania scrambled two F-16s to monitor

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1728-584: The collection requirements for more strategic intelligence. The earliest documented use of EW was during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. The British Army, when trying to relieve Ladysmith, under siege by the Boers , used a searchlight to "bounce" Morse code signals off the clouds. The Boers immediately spotted this and used one of their own searchlights in an attempt to jam the British signals. This

1782-537: The company's founder and first president. In 1959 Bedek began manufacturing its first aircraft, a V-tailed twinjet trainer of French design, the Fouga CM.170 Magister , locally called Tzukit ( monticola ). The Tzukit became the Israeli Air Force principal trainer for 50 years. The IAI Tzukit was also used in the 1967 Six-Day War by 147 Squadron as a close support aircraft, attacking targets on

1836-598: The company. In January 2012, IAI announced a sale of $ 1.1 billion of defense systems to an Asian country. The deal has been signed but the company did not name the buyer. It was reported that the sale will include IAI aircraft, missiles and intelligence technologies. On 4 September 2012, the Gulfstream G280 , a new twin-engine business jet built by IAI, received full certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). IAI

1890-636: The core needs of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Other offerings are marketed to numerous foreign militaries. Israel Aerospace Industries was founded in 1953 as Bedek Aviation Company under the initiative of Shimon Peres , then director general of the Ministry of Defense, in order to maintain Israel Defense Forces aircraft. The company originally had 70 employees and recruited American born aviation expert Al Schwimmer as

1944-560: The current scope of the firm's business activities, which includes not just aircraft, but also systems, satellites and launchers, as well as maritime and ground systems. On 13 April 2009, the Moscow Times reported that the Russian Defense Ministry had signed an agreement with Israel Aerospace to purchase $ 50 million in pilotless drone aircraft. The contract reportedly includes three types of UAVs manufactured by

1998-478: The decision was made (by one vote) to cancel the Lavi program, due to the questioning of Israel's economic ability to support the cost of such an extensive program. This led to a serious crisis at IAI which necessitated a major reorganization of the company's structure and business strategy; the company's work force of more than 22,000 people was cut by 5,500 in 1988. However, the Lavi program was credited with developing

2052-723: The decisive Battle of Tsushima , where the Russian Navy lost all its battleships and most of its cruisers and destroyers. These losses effectively ended the Russo-Japanese War in Japan's favor. During World War II , the Allies and Axis Powers both extensively used EW, or what Winston Churchill referred to as the " Battle of the Beams ": as navigational radars were used to guide bombers to their targets and back to their base,

2106-820: The drone's progress, it landed "in an uninhabited area" near Periprava , according to the Romanian Ministry of Defence. The drone that entered Latvian airspace from Belarus crashed near Rezekne . This comes as the ISW noted increased success in Ukrainian Electronic Warfare against Russian drones that resulted in "several Russian Shahed drones (that) recently failed to reach their intended targets for unknown reasons." Two Kh-58s also reportedly failed to reach their targets. Electronic protection (EP), also known as an electronic protective measure (EPM) or electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) are

2160-529: The first application of EW in WWII was to interfere with the navigational radars. Chaff was also introduced during WWII to confuse and defeat tracking radar systems. As battlefield communication and radar technology improved, so did electronic warfare, which played a major role in several military operations during the Vietnam War . Aircraft on bombing runs and air-to-air missions often relied on EW to survive

2214-530: The guidance (seeker head) of an infrared homing missile to counter an adversary's use of flares is an example of EP. While defensive EA actions (jamming) and EP (defeating jamming) both protect personnel, facilities, capabilities, and equipment, EP protects from the effects of EA (friendly and/or adversary). Other examples of EP include spread spectrum technologies, the use of restricted frequency lists, emissions control ( EMCON ), and low observability (stealth) technology. Electronic warfare self-protection (EWSP)

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2268-408: The information environment is referred to as the electromagnetic environment (EME). The recognized need for military forces to have unimpeded access to and use of the electromagnetic environment creates vulnerabilities and opportunities for electronic warfare in support of military operations. Within the information operations construct, EW is an element of information warfare; more specifically, it

2322-527: The location and source of radar emissions, and increased capacity for suppression. During the first two days of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russian EW disrupted Ukraine's air defense radars and communications, severely disrupting Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems. Russian jamming was so effective it interfered with their own communications, so efforts were scaled back. This led to Ukrainian SAMs regaining much of their effectiveness, which began inflicting significant losses on Russian aircraft by

2376-431: The most tactical, rugged, and extreme environments. This is often referred to as simply reconnaissance, although today, more common terms are intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( ISR ) or intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance ( ISTAR ). The purpose is to provide immediate recognition, prioritization, and targeting of threats to battlefield commanders. Signals intelligence (SIGINT),

2430-414: The offensive use of electromagnetic energy weapons, directed energy weapons, or anti-radiation weapons to attack personnel, facilities, or equipment with the intent of degrading, neutralizing, or destroying enemy combat capability including human life. In the case of electromagnetic energy, this action is most commonly referred to as "jamming" and can be performed on communications systems or radar systems. In

2484-613: The program due to unspecified reasons. The company was working with the Aviation Technology Group on a military trainer version of the ATG Javelin , a fighter style personal jet. The version being developed would have competed against a large field of jet trainers at a much lower cost of acquisition and maintenance. ATG halted development of the Javelin in 2008 due to a lack of funds. In March 2004 IAI signed

2538-843: The satellite radio navigation field (spoofing)". An estimated three Palantin systems have been hit (June 2022, February 2023, and March 2024). In addition to the Palantin, in Zaporizhzhia a Layer EW system was destroyed. In the movie Spaceballs , an electronic attack "jams" a weapons system with a literal jar of jam . In both Top Gun: Maverick and Behind Enemy Lines , characters utilize chaff and flares from their F/A-18s to confuse/deflect guided missiles. Other electronic warfare systems: Historic: U.S. specific: Israel Aerospace Industries Israel Aerospace Industries ( Hebrew : התעשייה האווירית לישראל , romanized :  ha-ta'asiya ha-avirit le-yisra'el ),

2592-658: The start of March 2022. Rapid Russian advances at the start of the war prevented EW troops from properly supporting the advancing troops, but by late March and April 2022, extensive jamming infrastructure had been deployed. EW complexes were set up in Donbas in concentrations of up to 10 complexes per 13 mi (21 km) of frontage. Electronic suppression of GPS and radio signals caused heavy losses of Ukrainian UAVs, depriving them of intelligence and precise artillery fire spotting. Small quadcopters had an average life expectancy of around three flights, and larger fixed-wing UAVs like

2646-473: The system started in 2004 and evaluation testing successfully completed in December 2010. The Borisoglebsk-2 uses four different types of jamming stations on a single system. The Borisoglebsk-2 system is mounted on nine MT-LB armored vehicles and is intended to suppress mobile satellite communications and satellite-based navigation signals. This EW system is developed to conduct electronic reconnaissance and suppression of radio-frequency sources. In August 2015,

2700-590: Was developed as a result of Israel's need for adapting the Dassault Mirage III to the specific requirements of the Israeli Air Force. The Kfir entered service with the IAF in 1975, the first units being assigned to the 101st "First Fighter" Squadron . Over the following years, several other squadrons were also equipped with the new aircraft. The Kfir's first recorded combat action took place on 9 November 1977, during an Israeli air strike on

2754-762: Was graphically described by Winston Churchill in his book London to Ladysmith via Pretoria . During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 the Japanese auxiliary cruiser Shinano Maru had located the Russian Baltic Fleet in Tsushima Strait , and was communicating the fleet's location by radio signals to the Imperial Japanese Fleet HQ. The captain of the Russian warship Ural requested permission to disrupt

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2808-480: Was in widespread use on front lines to impair small battlefield UAV activity, with Russia installing video feedback and control jammers on high-value equipment like tanks and artillery. By 11 March 2024, Ukraine reported it had destroyed a Russian Palantin EW system in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which "suppress satellite radio navigation along the entire line of contact and in most parts of Ukraine, replacing

2862-490: Was losing some 10,000 drones a month due to Russian electronic warfare, according to a 19 May 2023 report by the Royal United Services Institute . This was an average of 300 drones a day. Russia has established EW posts about every 10 kilometres (6 mi) of the front, being some 6 kilometres (4 mi) back from the front line. In October 2023, The Economist reported that electronic warfare

2916-533: Was purchased by the Brazilian Air Force in 2006 for its AMX A-1 fighter aircraft for SEAD missions. In February 2022, Rafael announced finalization of the development and conduction of flight testing of a new generation of Sky Shield for an undisclosed customer. Electronic warfare Military operations are executed in an information environment increasingly complicated by the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum portion of

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