Threat Emitter Joins in European EW Exercises

Training is an essential ingredient in the development of modern soldiers knowledgeable in the ways of electronic-warfare (EW) systems, and the Exercise Joint Warrior is the largest EW training program for Europe. It was recently conducted with the aid of the Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) developed by Northrop Grumman for training pilots and other aircrew members of the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Navy (RN), and U. S. Marine Corp (USMC) expected to fly F-35B Lightning II aircraft. The JTE is a mobile system that can readily be transported to a training site (Figure 1) as part of providing a simulated battlespace environment, helping military personnel identify a wide range of enemy missile or artillery threats.

The JTE consists of two subsystems: a threat emitter unit (TEU) and a command-and-control unit (C2U). The C2U can control as many as 12 different TEUs for simulation of advanced battlefield scenarios. The C2U can be deployed in two configurations, either as a fixed control center or as part of a mobile JTE system.

As explained by Andy Horler, Northrop Grumman’s director of business development, “Warfighters need realistic training and it’s particularly important to the UK and its allies, as they bring the F-35 Lighting II into service. Our Joint Threat Emitter offers a high level of preparation for aircrews as they train to combat various threats.”

Exercise Joint Warrior joins all branches of the UK’s armed forces with NATO and other allied forces, resulting in a total of 58 aircraft and 16 warships from 14 allied nations as part of the military EW exercises. A key part of training for the F-35B aircrews is going against the different battlefield environments created by the JTE simulations. This training is in advance of deployment of these F-35B aircrews as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group in 2021.