While drones and artificial intelligence are increasingly taking up space in military technology, battles are also being fought directly in the field and by soldiers armed with the latest advances. With this in mind, the US military will buy hundreds of portable attack systems and electronic warfare scanners, sources said at a conference, a type of A tool frequently used by both Ukraine and Russia.
In total, the army will spend Nearly $100 million to equip, train and operate the systemcalled the Ground Layer System-Brigade Combat Equipment Manpack, according to an Army news release. The Manpack is designed by Mastodon Design, a subsidiary of defense contractor CACI.
The system is “on its way to being the first electromagnetic attack/electromagnetic support program “Army-registered disassembled,” a spokesman for the Army’s program executive office for electronic and cyber warfare said in the statement.
The Manpack is Designed to scan the electromagnetic spectrum for signs of enemy activitysuch as command post broadcasts, as well as to jam enemy transmissions and requires two people to operate.
The system will be implemented in units this year and will eventually be used in electronic warfare units across all Army brigade combat teams.
Both Russia and Ukraine have made Electronic warfare a key tactic in the ongoing war. The units use signal gathering to locate and target enemy units, as well as to identify when their own forces are under drone surveillance. Both sides also periodically launch electromagnetic attacksincluding precision weapons and guidance systems for the thousands of drones that fill Ukrainian airspace.
In addition to the larger, truck-borne jammers, Ukraine and Russia have worked quickly to produce new portable electronic warfare systems. These systems are particularly important given the proliferation of cheap, short-range loitering munitions, which make it dangerous for soldiers to move in open terrain.
Army leaders believe the Manpack will also help teach commanders and soldiers to limit its electromagnetic signature. The Army “can use that Manpack system against ourselves in an opposing force context, to force our formations to fight across a contested electromagnetic spectrum,” Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, commander of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence, said a few weeks ago. One.
That way, soldiers will be prepared for the obstacles they will face at training centers, Stanton concluded: “When they come to our training centers, they already have repeaters, sets and training to make them much more proficient.”