El Ej\u00e9rcito de EEUU prob\u00f3 en un ejercicio la c\u00e1psula Air Large de guerra electr\u00f3nica multifunci\u00f3n , el primer activo de ataque electr\u00f3nico de brigada org\u00e1nica montado en un avi\u00f3n no tripulado MQ-1C Gray Eagle, en Edge 21.<\/p>\n
BELCAMP, Maryland \u2014 The Army used a series of exercises to prove out and mature its forthcoming aerial jamming pod, drawing lessons for senior leaders to make more informed funding decisions.<\/p>\n
Most recently, the Army tested the\u00a0Multi-Function Electronic Warfare Air Large pod<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the service\u2019s first organic brigade electronic attack asset mounted on an MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone \u2014 at\u00a0Edge 21<\/a>, an aviation-focused exercise leading up to the larger Project Convergence event later this summer. The Army is scheduled to field MFEW Air Large in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time that we\u2019ve had airborne capability like this. The big piece of it is just giving it visibility for senior leaders,\u201d Col. Kevin Finch, project manager for electronic warfare and cyber at Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, said Wednesday at the Cyber Electromagnetic Activity conference hosted by the Association of Old Crows. \u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do with Edge 21 and also with Project Convergence is to provide data points for the senior leaders so as they make decisions, making informed decisions versus guesses on what the capability will actually do.\u201d<\/p>\n That information will factor into the Army\u2019s decisions as it plans for the 2023 budget and lays out its program objective memorandum for 2024, Finch said. His office has been providing white papers to senior leaders after demonstrations to help them decide on capabilities based on what the systems can actually do.<\/p>\n In terms of the actual capabilities, Finch told C4ISRNET that the team tries to\u00a0add more electronic attack techniques<\/a>\u00a0at each exercise or demonstration.<\/p>\n While declining to discuss specifics due to classification, he said some additional techniques at Edge 21 surrounded communications and electronic intelligence. Vendor Lockheed Martin also adds new capabilities and techniques regularly to improve the pod.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you start looking at it holistically, it\u2019s proving a) we can integrate it on the Gray Eagle, and b) we can definitely sense the target sets that the platform is designed to go after. And then when you start talking about Edge 21, Edge 21 is kind of like the trial run of Project Convergence,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n They plan to add cyber capabilities to MFEW\u2019s portfolio over the summer as part of Project Convergence and Defender Pacific 2021. This will also be the first time the Army\u2019s new tactical cyber force, the\u00a0915th Cyber Warfare Battalion<\/a>, will use MFEW Air Large.<\/p>\n Personnel from the 915th will be able to upload techniques to the pod and deliver them from the air, which Finch said will demonstrate that the pod is configurable and can accept new technologies and techniques.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re really demonstrating, it is just not a fixed capability that provides you these particular things. Now, it\u2019s a capability that when you get it fielded in the tactical environment, you can upload new techniques into the pod and run them as software,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n