DON'T MISS TOMORROW'S AOC VIRTUAL SERIES WEBINAR: Active vs Passive Electronically Scanned Antennas
Thursday, April 7
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

In the early 1970s, electronically scanned antennas (ESAs) emerged as a new and impactful technology for ISR missions. Replacing mechanically scanned antennas (MSAs), ESAs were much faster for beam switching from a mission timeline perspective, and eliminated the size weight and power associated with a gimbal. As ESAs became better understood, passive EW modes were added as part of their capability offering. This highlights the revolutionary impact of ESAs on the warfighter battlespace.

This talk will show the genesis from MSA to passive ESA to active ESA and provide a conceptual understanding of the advantages of an active ESA. Additionally, the talk will show how the next ESA transformation that is currently taking place is from analog active ESAs to digital active ESAs.

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GOLD SPONSORS

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JUST ONE MONTH AWAY: Register Now for the 16th Annual AOC Electronic Warfare Europe, May 10-12 in Rotterdam
"Transforming EW – Evolving Threats, Concepts and Capabilities"

As nations re-focus on contingency operations after over a decade of counter-insurgency, there are many challenges and opportunities for governments, the military, academia, science and technology and industry. Recent events have reminded everyone of the deadly nature of RF guided weaponry and that the threat from insurgents has not ended, but intensified. The widely reported use of wholesale, sophisticated Russian counter-C3 systems in and around Ukraine in parallel to cyber operations and widespread dis-information/psychological operations has given rise to what leading military and political thinkers refer to as Hybrid Warfare. The question is what does this mean for the future of EW in the free world? Almost all military operations are enabled by wide-ranging electromagnetic (EM) operations, a concept that NATO and others have fully embraced. These include SIGINT; C4ISR; precise navigation and timing; targeting; communications, spectrum management and the whole gamut of EW. But, are there new requirements for EW arising from hybrid warfare? The answer to the question then, is yes, a great deal, with an obvious example being EM-enabled cyber operations.

NEW: CONFERENCE AGENDA. Click HERE to View

FEATURED SPEAKERS



Colonel Jeffery Church
Chief of the Electronic Warfare Division, Army G-3/5/7 Operations Directorate, US

Lt. Col J.C Deering
Head of Electronic Warfare, Royal Netherlands Airforce

LTC Karen Himmelheber
Secretary, NATO EW Advisory Committee

Air Cdre Madelein Spit
Assistant Director, Joint Air Power Competence Centre & Air Force Armaments Group Chair, NATO

Conference Details
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED: 8th Annual EW Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Operational & Technical Information Exchange, May 10-12 at Crane, IN
EW warfighting requirements continue to evolve in their complexity and capability to meet air, ground, surface, space and cyberspace requirements. The 8th Annual Electronic Warfare Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Operational & Technical Information Exchange will provide a forum for EW professionals from the military, government, industry and academic fields to discuss issues related to the requirements of EW programs, platforms and operations. This capstone event will focus on the identified gaps and technologies the services require to ensure EW maintains freedom of maneuver through the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) in support of achieving commanders’ objectives. Speakers and presenters will look back at the previous few years and identify progress made to ensure the success of the warfighter in tomorrow’s battlespace.


KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Mr. William P. Bray, SES
Executive Director, Program Executive Office
Integrated Warfare Systems Office of the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research,
Development and Acquisition)

Margaret G. Palmieri
Director, Integrated Fires (OPNAV N2N6F3)

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REGISTER FOR THE APRIL 21 WEBINAR: Challenges of Greater Data Converter Bandwidth in EW Systems
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

As any practitioner of the EW trade knows, the need for greater bandwidth in signal processing electronics has been relentless. The reason for this is not only that the spectrum of interest keeps expanding, but also that the electronics hardware has to meet increasingly stringent SWaP requirements – which leads to the need for each RF-to-digital signal chain to handle a larger chunk of bandwidth. However, the requirements for dynamic range performance are not relaxing at the same time and there is a fundamental tradeoff between bandwidth and dynamic range that thus stands in the way of this trend. In this seminar we will look at this ever-present challenge and what the RF signal processing industry has been doing to deal with it. The focus of this seminar will be on the wideband data conversion section of the signal chain and all the bandwidth and dynamic range issues associated with it; as well as the state of the industry in this area.

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NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES: 2016 AOC Awards Nominations Being Accepted Through May 1
Honor those who have furthered the discipline of Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) and the AOC! Recognize their dedication by nominating them or the unit for an AOC 2016 Individual or Unit Award!

To view the list of awards and download the application, go to http://www.crows.org/community/awards.html. Nomination Forms are due by May 1! If you have any questions concerning the awards, please contact Glorianne O’Neilin (oneilin@crows.org)

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MAY 5 AOC VIRTUAL SERIES WEBINAR: Our Brave New Digital World - Where Analog Rules
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

It is widely believed that the move towards digital systems has rendered analogue technologies obsolete, and that understanding the digital domain is more important than understanding physics. But as usual, the truth is far more complex! Even though we increasingly view the world through digitised eyes and use digital tools, the world remains analogue and is still governed by physical laws. Far from becoming obsolete and irrelevant, analogue technologies and physics are even more important today than ever before.

The motivation for the ever-expanding use of digital technologies will be summarised by briefly considering some aspects of the theoretical performance achievable by digital systems. Some examples of how RF and microwave front-ends and basic physical laws affect the performance of systems will then be described. In this way, the crucial importance of analogue subsystems and physical laws on the performance of any system – analogue or digital – will be demonstrated.

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REGISTER FOR THE MAY 19 AOC VIRTUAL SERIES WEBINAR: Protecting the Sky: Detection, Direction Finding and Countermeasure for Threats Imposed by Radio-Controlled Micro-UAVs
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

Today, more than 300.000 Radio-Controlled Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (commonly referred to as "drones") are sold worldwide every month. It was expected that around 0.5 to 1 million micro-drones were to be sold for Christmas last year in the U.S. alone. The increasing amount of affordable civilian drones capable of carrying payloads of some 100g up to a few kg leads to an emerging threat ranging from simple disturbances (privacies), spying or even incur severe destruction (terror attacks). These might include disturbing public events, important summits, endangering air traffic (drone sighting near airport), threatening governmental facilities, sensitive sites and industrial facilities (i.e. high-tech industries) as well as illegal smuggling contraband into correctional facilities and cross border.

The day has come where drones are "hovering over the sky." Facing with the challenges and difficulties of intercepting radio controlled drones especially to capture their operators, many authorities have been striving to achieve a solution in drone monitoring and countermeasures. A technical approach for countering the threats posed by such micro-drones is in tremendous demand, in order to achieve an idealized solution in "protecting the sky" against the drones.

In this webinar: "Protecting the Sky", we will provide insight into the application, specifications and impact of civilian recreational drones that are increasingly being used for other (sometimes hostile) purposes. The technical approach for countering the threats posed by drones to protected environments have been revealed, which includes:

•     monitoring the spectrum for relevant signals
•     identification and classification of frequency-agile RC signals
•     direction finding
•     possible defensive countermeasures

This webinar will review a strategic approach for the development of a solution for signal monitoring of radio-controlled microdrones and the possible countermeasures.

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Platinum Sponsor

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REGISTER NOW: 7th Annual Cyber/Electronic Warfare Convergence Conference, June 7-9, Charleston, SC
Electronic warfare and cyberspace technical capabilities are becoming more technically similar. However, the communities that practice these disciplines remain largely separated and vary widely across the Military Services in terms of their equipment, unit organization and operating methodologies. This conference provides the EW and cyberspace communities an opportunity to collaborate and discuss capabilities, TTPs and research in EW and cyberspace operations to enable more rapid deployment of new and improved capabilities. The EW/Cyberspace Convergence Conference identifies ways to develop advanced technologies and systems to address the changing battlefield dynamics of the digital age and bring EW and cyberspace together for the Warfighter!

Conference Details

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NEW AOC JOB VACANCIES PAGE: Post Your Open Positions for Free
The AOC has launched a new webpage where members and sponsors can post job vacancies. Follow the guide located HERE to provide information on posting a job listing. Submitted listings will remain live for 30 days. The AOC will not format or edit submitted postings, and will not respond to any questions from candidates concerning postings. We are hoping that members and sponsors will take advantage of this free AOC service. Complete the guide linked above and submit to Tim Hutchison at hutchison@crows.org.

Job Vacancies Page

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INDUSTRY NEWS: AOC Applauds H.R. 4851, the EW Capabilities Enhancement Act, by Reps. Jackie Walorski (IN-02) and Rick Larsen (WA-02)

The Association of Old Crows (AOC) strongly applauds the recent introduction of H.R. 4851, The Electronic Warfare Capabilities Enhancement Act, by Rep. Jackie Walorski and Rep. Rick Larsen. Walorski and Larsen are co-chairs of the congressional Electronic Warfare Working Group (EWWG) and have long been leaders in advancing awareness of and support for critical Electronic Warfare (EW) technologies and capabilities for US military forces on Capitol Hill. "We express our deepest gratitude for the leadership of the EWWG. The growing support for EW in Congress today is due in large part to the efforts of Representatives Walorski and Larsen in bringing together leaders in government and industry to advance innovative EW systems and capabilities that are a prerequisite for successful military operations in the twenty-first century," said AOC President, David A. Hime.
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For the nearly 400 students from Middle Georgia who attended the Dixie Crow Symposium 40, it was an opportunity to see drones, robots and other electronics that contribute to the Air Force's electronic warfare mission. Two of those students were Ben and Jack Hartman, who are both home-schooled. The pair visited the Century of Flight hangar at the Museum of Aviation on March 23. (The Macon Telegraph)
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With the rise of high-tech threats from Russia and China, the Marine Corps plans a major increase in its forces devoted to jamming, hacking and deceiving enemies. That includes putting new sensors and jammers in everything from ground units to drones to V-22 Osprey tiltrotors and KC-130 transports, despite a tight budget. (Breaking Defense)
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After some time on the back burner, electronic warfare has recently come to the fore. The capabilities demonstrated by Russia in the Ukraine and elsewhere have grabbed the attention of key leaders in the U.S. military, who want to bolster electromagnetic spectrum operations such as EW. (Defense Systems)
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The Defense Department’s approach to an increasingly dynamic global environment and its recent focus on great-power competition is not a lead-up to war among powerful nations, but rather is a way to achieve comprehensive stability, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work said on March 30. Work spoke during a forum titled "Securing Tomorrow," hosted by the Washington Post and conducted by the newspaper’s foreign affairs columnist and author David Ignatius. (Defense.gov)
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The Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian official said Wednesday that the Defense Department is concerned that adversary nations could empower advanced weapons systems to act on their own, noting that while the United States will not give them the authority to kill autonomously, other countries might. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work said the Pentagon hasn’t "fully figured out" the issue of autonomous machines, but continues to examine it. (The Washington Post)
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The U.S. Navy is continuing to buy the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet at reduced rates while increasing its buy of Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighters. However, the sea service has always been somewhat lukewarm toward the stealthy single-engine fighter. Instead, the service has shown a strong preference for more Super Hornets, while either developing a stealthy long-range unmanned strike aircraft or skipping ahead to a next-generation F/A-XX. But, the Office of the Secretary had other ideas. (The National Interest)
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Israel is working with Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office to maximize autonomy of its planned stealth fighter force, including its own command, control, communications and computing (C4) system, indigenous weaponry and the ability to perform heavy maintenance in country rather than at predetermined regional overhaul facilities. (Defense News)
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The Brussels bombings make it abundantly clear that a priority for all states should be defeating radical extremist terrorism — together. While Russia’s actions in Syria and elsewhere have yet to demonstrate that this is Moscow’s top priority, we may be close to a resolution of the civil war in Syria — a major breeding ground and operational area for the Islamic State group and other radical Islamists. If that is the case and we derive the right lessons from Syria, we could also achieve a favorable resolution of the war in Ukraine. (Defense News)
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Finmeccanica is hopeful that the Royal Air Force will be the launch customer for its BriteCloud active decoy, following the completion of a series of tests of the system onboard the service’s Panavia Tornado GR4 combat aircraft. Initial evaluation testing was carried out in the USA at dedicated radio-frequency (RF) facilities in October, the first test of the expendable active decoy from the Tornado. (Flightglobal)
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The Army has taken a critical step in developing a next generation sensor to help U.S. ground forces see through the fog of war. The service has awarded contracts to Raytheon and DRS Technologies to develop the 3rd Generation Forward Looking Infrared (3GEN FLIR) in the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program. If all options are exercised, the contract value for 96 3GEN FLIR B-Kits is $154.4 million. (Defense News)
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On March 27, following months of preparation and Russian-led coalition military action, Damascus finally announced the recapture of Palmyra by government forces. President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad as Russian media noted a sea change in Western media coverage of the conflict. Of course, the strategic and symbolic significance of the regime’s most impressive success to date against the Islamic State (IS) was made possible by the close-air-support (CAS) operations and airstrikes of the Russian military, as well as Russian-supplied weapons, hardware and training to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). (Modern Tokyo Times)
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