Interview with Chris Pitt on Electronic Warfare Developments

What are the likely future trends in EW self protection? IR self protection has seen much investment in recent years, so the future focus should be on RF Countermeasures. The front-line is now very much rotary wing. These are well-protected, but what about IR MANPADS? The capability is there in Afghanistan but few, if any aircraft losses have resulted. For EW training, it is difficult to train against IR MANPADS. Use of flares is difficult. There is still a need for RF training to continue, but it takes enormous investment. In the UK, funding is secure for the Spadeadam range for several years. We are close to losing the skills-base for RF countermeasures. However, Chaff is still a very effective counter-measure.