David Robbins, Business Development Director for Data Links at SPX Communication Technologies, joins Thomas Withington to explore one of the biggest challenges facing modern defence and security teams: how to ensure reliable, secure communications across airborne platforms in contested environments.
David introduces ECS Connect, a new capability that aggregates satellite, cellular, mesh, and traditional data links into a single, secure solution, reducing pilot workload and delivering near-100% reliability.
Robust connectivity is crucial for safeguarding borders and enabling data-driven intelligence, particularly as threats escalate across regions such as Eastern Europe and the South China Sea.
Yet no single technology, whether cellular, SATCOM, or mesh, meets every mission’s need.
Defence and security teams face the growing challenge of ensuring reliable airborne communications in contested environments.
A new film documentary is in development that reveals the fascinating history of tactical datalinks and the impact they have had on military operations around the world.
Tactical Datalinks (TDLs) help reduce the Clausewitzian ‘fog of war’ by improving situational awareness. TDLs have been around in some shape or form since the Second World War. It was during that conflict that the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) pioneered the technology via its Bernhard/Bernhardine system. This early TDL let fighter crews receive basic written data on the location of their targets. Information was sent in written form across a surface-to-air radio link and printed on paper tape in the fighter cockpit. Following that conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) spearheaded further TDL development. This effort resulted in Link-11/22 and Link-16. The latter primarily supports air operations by sharing track and tactical information while Link-11/22 does much the same for the maritime domain. Today, scores of TDLs are in service around the world. A new film documentary called Timber Sweet is in the offing which tells the fascinating story of the tactical datalink’s development, and the impact TDLs have had on warfare. The initiative is the brainchild of TDL expert and filmmaker Sean Bergesen. Mr. Bergesen is the guest on Episode 21 of Radioflash! More information about the film can be found here.
On 15th August, the second edition of Cognitive Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence Approach, the seminal work on this subject, will be published.
The first edition of Dr. Karen Haigh and Dr. Julia Andrusenko’s book was published in 2021. Armada gratefully received a copy which we reviewed. Just four years later, the second edition has hit the shelves. That a new version has appeared so rapidly should be no surprise. The world of cognitive Electronic Warfare (EW) is moving apace, thanks to advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).
The original edition was a clear yet comprehensive discussion of the fundamentals of cognitive EW. The new version continues to be easily readable and is just as, if not more, informative than the first. Drs. Haigh and Andrusenko neatly summarise recent advances in the subject. They also clarify or add further discussion to points raised in the original work. Much has happened since publication of the first edition: Russia commenced her second invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Iran and Israel have fought a recent short war and the People’s Republic of China continues to emerge as a strategic rival to the United States and her allies.
As both authors note, the net effect of these global shocks is exacerbated by the dizzying speed at which AI and ML are moving. A useful addition to the latest book is a section with practical exercises one can undertake to start to get a feel for cognitive EW architectures. As with the first edition, the new work is comprehensively referenced. This exhaustive approach is particularly welcome in helping the reader discover new avenues of scholarship and analysis which will prove useful as the discipline develops.
Drs. Haigh and Andrusenko’s new work is very much the right book at the right moment and will become the standard text for this fascinating discipline. Its concise yet thorough style will appeal to both the specialist and general reader alike. Cognitive Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence Approach should be required reading from the foxhole to the boardroom and ministerial office. To learn more about the book, and Dr. Haigh’s insights on cognitive EW, enjoy this latest episode of Armada’s Radioflash! podcast. To order a copy please visit the website of its publisher Artech House.
Kyiv faces the prospect that the United States may end her military support for Ukraine following a suspension in March. How could the international community fill any gaps left by Uncle Sam?
On 4th March the administration of US President Donald Trump announced an abrupt suspension of all military aid to Ukraine. A few days earlier on 28th February, the world witnessed an unbelievable spectacle in the Oval Office. Ukraine’s President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy was on the receiving end of a bizarre temper tantrum from Mr. Trump and his vice president JD Vance. Fortunately, the suspension was soon lifted, but Mr. Trump’s actions provoked some serious questions.
Ukraine has benefitted from supplies of US Electronic Warfare (EW) kit and expertise. Ukraine’s allies must be able to step up to quickly fill any void, in terms of EW assistance, left by Uncle Sam’s isolationism. At the same time, European allies must continue enhancing their defences against Mr. Putin’s regime. How can US EW capabilities be substituted for Ukraine? What are Ukraine’s electromagnetic needs as the war continues? These questions, and more, are the focus of this episode of Armada’s Radioflash! podcast with Oleksandr ‘Sashko’ Matviienko, a defence journalist and analyst from the publication CounteroffensivePro.
China’s advancement in sensing technology is moving at pace. A new report examines in detail where the country might be catching up with the United States.
On 20th January, the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) DeepSeek artificial intelligence chatbot was released, based on the DeepSeek-R1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) model. The Hangzhou DeepSeek AI company, which developed the model, has claimed its chatbot outperforms US rivals like OpenAI. It also claimed that DeepSeek’s large language model cost $5.6 million to train. This is notably less than that spent on comparable US offerings.
Whatever the long-term effect of DeepSeek, the news thrust Chinese technological innovation into sharp relief. Advances such as these could have major strategic ramifications for accepted US technological pre-eminence. Not least of which in the sensing domain, which a report entitled China’s Remote Sensing, published in December 2024 by OTH Intelligence, discusses in detail.
In this Radioflash! episode we talk to one of the report’s authors Tate Nurkin, a previous Radioflash! guest, about Chinese advances in sensing technologies across the board: How will the Chinese government and armed forces collect, process, store and use all this sensor data? What will be the impact of the dual use sensing technology being developed by the PRC? What effect is corruption having on China’s ability to secure the sensing capabilities the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) needs? Likewise, what impact will the PLA’s recent reorganisation of the Strategic Support Force into the Information Support Force have on PLA sensing capabilities writ large? All these topics, and more, come under discussion in this latest episode.
The defence and security electromagnetic agenda for the new US Congress and Executive is considerable, but what are the priorities?
The new US Congress, and the administration of President Donald Trump, will have a heavy workload regarding the importance of the electromagnetic spectrum to America’s strength, security and prosperity. EW spending priorities will need be balanced with other defence and security needs. No matter how big any budgetary increases may be, economies must be made. There simply will not be enough available cash to fund every requirement. Meanwhile, the need to educate lawmakers on EW’s strengths and limitations will continue. Furthermore, the US Department of Defence bureaucracy must evolve to accommodate the need to innovate and deploy EW capabilities at pace. As our Radioflash! guest Ken Miller, director of advocacy and outreach for the Association of Old Crows’ international EW organisation explains, the next five years look busy.
As the modern battlefield is increasingly digitalised, the role of data in decision-making and situational awareness is vital. How can you make sure it gets through? The role of data in the modern world has undoubtedly increased. The ability to generate data has become much more simple and, as roles for the generated datapoints are created, data has become increasingly important to workflows, objectives, and missions.The modern battlefield, however, is changing. After more than two decades focussed on counter-insurgency and asymmetric warfare, dealing with peer and near-peer threats has once again become a concern. In the intervening period, the capabilities of competitive peers have increased - and in some areas surpassed those of Western nations.So, how do you ensure the security of your communications channels when faced with a capable adversary?“Planning your communications protocols and fallbacks is a major part of any deployment. Having a system that can deliver automated communications switching, as well as message prioritisation, means that battlespace operators can worry less about having to manage their networks and know that any disruption will be readily resolved,” Christoph Pauls, Business Product Manager at Systematic Defence said.“Systematic’s SitaWare Tactical Communication and SitaWare Headquarters Communication protocols help to automate your communications processes so that they can deal with a variety of challenges. This means that you can focus more on the operations and less on the architecture of your communication and digital battlespace setup,” Pauls added.https://www.armadainternational.com/2025/02/armada-international-podcast-3-delivering-data-to-those-who-need-it/
You have heard of hard kill, you have heard of soft kill, but what about SMART Kill?
Drawing on his operational experience in the Royal Navy, and time in industry, Alasdair Gilchrist, our guest on episode 16 of Radioflash! says we need to start thinking about how to engage threats without stovepipes.
Mr. Gilchrist, who has recently embarked on a new career as a consultant, has developed the SMART (Sensors and Measures Against Realistic Threats) Kill concept of operations. This takes the effects-based approach to prosecuting threats a step forward. He argues that traditional thinking about hard kill and soft kill approaches are becoming obsolete. The plethora of emerging threats militaries are facing, the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (UAV) menace being a good example, is forcing this rethink.
Within the SMART Kill concept, sensing stresses the importance of threat comprehension. Are we understanding the real, and not the perceived, threat? This is particularly relevant on future battlefields where misinformation and disinformation risks clouding our threat sensing and comprehension. When engaging a threat, are we using our effects judiciously and responsibly? Should we be sending kinetics aloft to counter UAVs, when jamming may kill such threats just as effectively? The danger posed by swarms of UAVs aptly underscores this point. Can the SMART Kill approach allow us to use technologies which may not be exquisite, but which may perform the mission just as well, but at a fraction of the cost?
The US and her allies are embracing the Multi-Domain Operations philosophy with the Joint All Domain Command and Control System is at the heart of this endeavour.
Multi-Domain Operations, or MDO, focus on improving the pace and quality of decision-making at the expense of one’s adversary. The goal is to navigate the famed OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) loop at a faster clip than your enemy. Get MDO right and you will always be proactive while your opponent is forced to be reactive.
JADC2
The Joint All Domain Command and Control architecture, or JADC2, is the US Department of Defence’s networking and computing project that will enable MDO. JADC2 will see the inter- and intra-force connection of all personnel, weapons, sensors, platforms, subsystems and capabilities at all levels of war. The undertaking is ambitious. Reports say that since 2022 the Pentagon has spent up to $2.6 billion on JADC2. A further $9 billion could be spent on the initiative before the end of the decade.
In episode 15 of Armada’s Radioflash! podcast we talk to Leslie Hulser, executive vice president, corporate strategy of Persistent Systems. We examine the status of JADC2, what this overarching effort has achieved to date, potential problems and shortcomings, and the work that still needs to be performed.
Estonia is experiencing the challenges of Russian hybrid warfare first hand and is most likely in the direct path of any future military action by Moscow to reconstitute the former USSR.
Estonia is on the frontline of efforts by the Russian government to destabilise the governments, economies and societies of the Baltic nations. Like her other Baltic neighbours, the invasion and occupation of Estonia will be key to any future attempts by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin to rebuild the former Soviet Union.
So-called ‘sub-threshold’ actions by Moscow, which aim to amplify destabilisation but are short of outright war, are occurring in the electromagnetic spectrum. Estonia has witnessed recent disruption to civil aviation strongly suspected to have been caused by Russian GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) jamming. GNSS jamming has also caused disruption to everyday life in Estonia. Ride sharing services and food deliveries are two consumer services affected by Russian GNSS attack.
At the same time, Estonia has faced regular and significant state-sponsored Russian cyberattacks. Barring a major political change in Russia, there are few signs that Moscow’s hybrid warfare against Estonia will cease any time soon.
However, it is not all bad news. Domestic science and technology ingenuity is playing its part. Estonia has world-class innovation focused on nullifying and reducing the severity of nefarious Russian actions in the spectrum. Tallinn’s strategy writ large is not just to prevent Russian invasion but to deter it.
In this latest edition of Armada’s Radioflash! podcast we chat about these and other issues with John Longhurst, chief executive officer of Tangent Link and longtime Estonian resident.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are two much-heralded technologies set to revolutionise signals intelligence collection, processing and dissemination.
An increasingly congested radio spectrum is set to challenge the limits of human cognition in the search for the signal of interest. In this episode of Radioflash! we catch up with Patrick ‘Krown’ Killingsworth, EpiSci’s director of autonomy projects.
We define the terms Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and their unique capabilities. ML algorithms are trained on huge amounts of data which makes these algorithms great for processing huge amounts of data, a key requirement in Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). The application of AI and ML in SIGINT is not necessarily about replacing the human but helping the SIGINT operator sort these data. Nonetheless, the continuing introduction of AI and ML into SIGINT analysis prompts concern and enthusiasm in equal measure. Ensuring that enough data are available for training algorithms creates challenges given the paucity of data which the SIGINT cadre may be interested in.
We talk about the risks of using synthetic data for training and tackling the risk by anticipating potential problems from the start. AI- and ML-enabled SIGINT systems continue to get smarter, faster and more accurate. The future brings challenges in terms of moving this SIGINT technology from the strategic level to the tactical edge, although edge computing in the tactical domain should help no end in this regard.
The modern electromagnetic battlespace is becoming more distributed, more mobile and more lethal. As neer-peer adversaries continue to develop and deploy advanced electronic warfare capabilities – the ability for the warfighter to communicate and share data to achieve decision dominance in contested environments is mission-critical. Silvus Technologies Jimi Henderson joins Armada’s military communications webpage and monthly newsletter editor Dr. Thomas Withington on this special podcast to explore these dynamic challenges. Learn how Silvus Technologies is responding with new & uniquely integrated MANET radio solutions, manned/unmanned systems teaming and advanced LPI/LPD and Anti-Jamming resiliency capabilities that are empowering the warfighter to achieve Spectrum Dominance at the tactical edge.
The importance of space as a domain of warfare is deepening. Since the dawn of the space age in the 1950s, militaries have exploited space for communications, espionage and strategic attack.
Despite the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, military demand for space is as strong as ever. The assertiveness of the People’s Republic of China and Russia is making space ever more strategically important. Expanding global military interest in the cosmos is impacting the electromagnetic environment. Actors seek to preserve access to their space-based assets while denying this to their rivals.
In this latest episode of the Radioflash! podcast we are joined by Juliana Suess, a research fellow studying space security at the Royal United Services Institute defence and security thinktank in London. We discuss counterpace weapons, both kinetic and electronic, and their long history. The influence of cyberwarfare as a counterspace weapon also falls under our gaze.
We examine the changing nature of counterspace warfare and the fact that attacks may no longer only be the preserve of nation states. We tackle the use of space Electronic Warfare (EW) during the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Russian capabilities. Moreover, the influence of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) jamming forms part of our discussion. We also talk about the steps that state and non-state actors can take to reduce their risks from space EW.
Tim Elliott, Head of Sales and Business Development, and Rob Hall, Product Management Lead at L3Harris in Tewkesbury and Fleet join Dr. Thomas Withington to address the many challenges presented by small UAS threats in today’s battlefield and explore how L3Harris’ CORVUS C-sUAS capabilities are helping to support such missions.
One of the Cold War’s great ‘what ifs?’ was whether the United Kingdom’s V-Bomber nuclear deterrent force would have been able to reach and attack its targets in the Soviet Union.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, the Royal Air Force’s V-Bomber fleet was the custodian of Britian’s nuclear deterrent. A trio of aircraft, namely the Vickers Valiant, Handley Page Victor and Avro Vulcan series strategic bombers were all tasked to deliver nuclear weapons of varying yields to targets in the Soviet Union (USSR).
Should the Third World War have broken out, these aircraft would have flown to their aimpoints in the USSR across what was arguably the most heavily defended airspace in the world. How likely was it that these aircraft would have reached their targets, delivered their nuclear weapons and escape unscathed? Would the electronic countermeasures carried by these aircraft have successfully defended them against Soviet radar? Could the V-bombers adequately jam the radio communications Soviet air defences depend upon?
A new book by historian Dr. Tony Redding, entitled V-Bombers on Britain’s Nuclear Frontline, lifts the veil on aspects of the V-Bomber force that have hitherto been shrouded in mystery. In this Radioflash! podcast he joins us to tackle such questions and to share other results of his research on the UK’s nuclear deterrent. More details of Dr. Redding’s publications can be found on his website.
Diamonds have attributes which are useful for current and future defence electromagnetic applications such as quantum communications and navigation.
Diamonds have the highest thermal conductivity of any solid material making them particularly suitable for environments where temperature management is paramount. Electronic warfare, radar and military communications all depend on power amplifiers to transmit radio frequency energy. The more power you send through these amplifiers, the more effective these systems become. However, this can come with a heat penalty making the temperature tolerances of diamonds particularly useful.
Furthermore, diamonds are well-placed to contribute to the emerging field of quantum communications where individual defects in the material, commonly known as flaws, help such applications. Diamonds with specific defects to support quantum communications can be produced on demand. Defects can also support quantum sensing applications, notably magnetic field sensing. Magnetic field sensing could support navigation applications not depending on Global Navigation Satellite System constellations.
Element6 produces synthetic diamonds and details on how these are formed can be found here. The company is involved in a Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative called LADDIS (Large Area Device-quality Diamond Substrates). LADDIS is examining ways in which laboratory-grown diamonds can be used in microelectronics.
If you want to learn more about the role diamonds play in defence electromagnetics? Tune in to our latest Radioflash! podcast. We will be chatting to Ian Friel, Element6’s business development programme manager and principal scientist Andrew Edmonds.
Israel’s ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip have once again highlighted the perils and pitfalls of urban electronic warfare, much as US-led operations in Iraq did several years earlier.
In episode 8 of the Radioflash! podcast, we chatted to Colonel Jeffrey H. ‘Fish’ Fischer, a European and global security expert, and author of the Curt Nover series of thrillers. Fish talked about the Electronic Warfare (EW) implications of Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. This discussion generated significant interest and prompted an old friend of the podcast, Major Erik Bamford, to get in touch. Maj. Bamford is the Norwegian Armed Forces’ staff officer for electronic warfare and the Association of Old Crows’ director of region 1. Region 1 covers Africa, Europe and Middle East.
In this episode, we discuss the unique challenges inherent in performing EW in built-up areas. Maj. Bamford outlines the current state-of-the-art regarding the general literature on urban warfare. He talks about the place of electronic warfare within wider theories and approaches to urban combat. It is noteworthy, he says, that there is a paucity of dedicated texts looking at the peculiarities of EW in built-up areas. The examination of urban EW has tended to focus on electronic warfare’s role in the counter-improvised explosive device battle.
Meanwhile, troops must fight in a complex built-up environment home to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Radio Frequency (RF) emitters. To further complicate matters, radio waves have strange behaviours in urban environments, bouncing off hard surfaces and working badly underground. Certain building materials either reflect or absorb RF in particular ways. These phenomena only serve to further complicate the EW cadres’ work in the urban environment.
Maj. Bamford is keen to work with other EW practitioners who share his interest in urban electronic warfare and he can be contacted via the Armada website.
Ahmed Al Khoori, senior vice president, Strategy & Excellence, EDGE Group talks to Asian Military Review Editor-in-Chief ahead of exciting announcements at the Dubai Airshow.
In this episode of Radioflash! we explore how the war between Israel and Hamas could unfold in the electromagnetic spectrum.
On 7th October, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a series of devastating raids on numerous targets in Israel. As of late October, is it believed that these attacks have killed over 1,400 people. Over five thousand have been injured and Hamas has abducted in excess of 200.
The surprise attack seemingly caught Israel’s government, her military and security services unaware. Inevitably, this has prompted questions regarding the extent to which these institutions failed to anticipate the actions of Hamas.
Israel is known for employing one of the most comprehensive signals intelligence capabilities in the world, and the Israeli military’s electronic warfare attributes are among the best.
How is the war between Hamas and Israel being fought in the electromagnetic spectrum and how could this conflict develop as Israel’s actions against the militants unfold.
For this episode of Radioflash! we are joined by Colonel Jeffrey H. ‘Fisch’ Fischer. Col Fischer is a European and global security expert, and author of the Curt Nover series of thrillers.
We will be asking how the Israeli intelligence community seemingly either missed warnings that the attack was going to take place, or failed to act on those warnings? How did Hamas’ intelligence picture seemingly work so efficiently in allowing the organisation to pull off such an audacious attack? What effect will anticipated subterranean warfare in Gaza’s conurbations have on Israel’s application of electronic warfare? Join us as we explore these questions and more.
It is a truism of military theory that the road to victory is harder for the side which does not win and sustain air supremacy.
It is now over eighteen months since the Russian government commenced its second invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has seen the shattering of some military aphorisms and the affirmation of others. One that has stood this test of time is that the achievement of air superiority and supremacy is a prerequisite for victory.
To date, neither the Russian nor Ukrainian military has established air superiority, the overture to securing air supremacy. There are subtle, yet important differences between these conditions: Air superiority means one side largely prevents the other from using airpower. Air supremacy means that opposing airpower is all but nullified.
Suppression of enemy air defences forms a key part of what the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation calls the Offensive Counter-Air mission (OCA). In turn, OCA is the tactical embodiment of the quest for air superiority and supremacy. Russian and Ukrainian airpower has performed energetic OCA efforts, but air superiority remains elusive for both sides.
In this podcast we are joined by Colonel Jeffrey H. ‘Fisch’ Fischer, a European and global security expert, Ukraine watcher and author of the Curt Nover series of thrillers. We discuss initial perceptions of Russian airpower and ground-based air defence strengths. Premature predictions of the ineffectiveness of Ukrainian airpower are questioned, while Ukrainian success in destroying Russian air defence systems are highlighted. Why is Russia’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum seeming to contribute to Russian Air Force fratricide? What role have uninhabited aerial vehicles played in the battle for air supremacy? Will the Link-16 tactical datalink be used by the Ukrainian Air Force and what effect might this have on the battle? Moreover, how is Ukraine’s military contributing to the ongoing OCA battle? Should Ukraine win the OCA battle, how might this achievement affect the wider war? All these questions fall under the Radioflash! spotlight. Tune in to find out more.