Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1488818
NETWORK – SILENT COMMUNICATION THE UK ARMED FORCES ONCE SAID, AMONG THE ENEMIES. This has been a painful lesson the concluding notes of which did put a stop to the emergence of broadband radio networks used to create a net-centric battlespace picture, with the use of BMS suites. Radio networks as such provided near-real-time coverage, and a capacity to process gigabytes of data and video streams, with fighting vehicles, or even soldiers acting in a sensor role, gathering and sending out loads of information. The biggest advantage of such systems also turned out to be their biggest deficiency. The EM signature of hundreds of radios used by the military units made it possible to precisely pinpoint their locations, even from outer space. The exercises conducted by the US military have brutally proven the above. A Painful Awakening On May 7th, 2020, Col. Scott Woodward, Commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment published satellite imagery via his social media channels, depicting the electromagnetic emission levels associ- ated with a Battalion Battle Group and elements responsible for logis- tical support. This was a part of an exercise conducted at the National Training Center facility in Fort Irwin, California. Notably, the 11th Regiment acts as OPFOR at NTC. The regiment operates a modified fleet of vehicles that replicate the behavior of fighting vehicles operated by the potential adversary, and also have a similar performance spec. Woodward was asked about the role of camouflage on the battle- field. He said that it extends the survivability period and makes it im- possible to identify the units. He, however, admitted that another mat- ter is far more worrying. Namely: how to get rid of the EM signature. It remains irrelevant how good the visible spectrum camouflage is since the EM emissions expose the hidden units immediately. The imagery published made it possible to detect the individual el- ements and pinpoint the locations of the command posts. The com- mand posts were the most significant emitters here. Woodward said that the units exposed in the imagery were camouflaged well, using the natural Moose Garden's landscape features. It was also certain that they remained invisible since they were conducting their operations at night. All were detected by the enemy, from a location 12 kilometers away. The other side did not use any EW systems. The imagery was shocking for the military experts. It exposed the weaknesses of the operated, and future solutions. The images have shown that if the use of such systems is continued, the elements, or even individual vehicles, would immediately be detected by the adver- sary. And this resulted in rapid neutralization, with the use of artillery assets. This has been proven by the conflict in Ukraine. During the fights, it turned out that the foreign, modern, digital sys- tems, provided to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, replacing the formerly used legacy analog systems, acted as beacons, being immediately de- tected. And once systems of this kind were located, artillery was begin- ning its effort. Modern security measures or sophisticated encryption were irrelevant. The enemy was detecting the EM signature of the radi- os, and then a salvo of rockets was sent its way. The Ukrainians quickly got rid of this equipment. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES