Book Review

Review

Andrew De Martino, Introduction to Modern EW Systems, Artech House, Boston, 2012. (ISBN 978-1608072071).

Reviewed by: Mike Ryan, University of New South Wales, Canberra

Electronic warfare (EW) has two main sub-divisions: communications EW and non-communications EW, based on whether the target is an adversary communications system or some other user of the electromagnetic spectrum. Communications EW is almost as old as electronic communications itself—in the military context, as early as the Russo-Japanese War 1904–05—and is principally focussed on gathering intelligence from communications emitters or denying their use to an adversary. Non-communications EW has developed since the early employment of radars in World War II and is primarily concerned with platform protection.

In both communications and non-communications EW, there is a fundamental division into three areas: electronic support (ES), electronic attack (EA), and electronic protection (EP)—also referred to respectively as electronic support measures (ESM), electronic counter measures (ECM), and electronic counter-counter measures (ECCM). ES is concerned with the gathering of information on sources of electromagnetic radiation. EA encompasses mechanisms to use electromagnetic radiation to degrade an adversary’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum, while EP provides techniques that protect systems using the spectrum against the effects of electronic attack and electronic support.

The two divisions of EW have developed quite separately and most books on EW tend to come from one heritage or another. Introduction to Modern EW Systems addresses both divisions albeit with a significant bias to non-communications systems, reflecting the author’s strong background in radar systems. The book’s easy style means that it is accessible to EW operators and practitioners, but it is principally a reference for engineers and scientists who will be more interested in the technical content. The book is not designed as a course text, although it could be used as such with the addition of revision questions and problems at the end of each chapter—in its current form, it is an excellent additional reference for courses covering non-communications EW and for many aspects of communications EW.

Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the book’s subject matter and describes the conflict scenarios in which EW systems detect and counter threats—both symmetric (threats to own assets are driven by electronic sensor systems) and asymmetric (threats are principally small weapons and IEDs). The emphasis on weapon platforms provides the focus for the remainder of the book on non-communications EW systems. Chapter 2 describes the evolution of signal emitters (radar, RF, laser and communications) and IR/EO sensors. Chapter 3 focuses on the requirements for and performance of electronic support measures provided by passive RF systems based on novel architectures utilising high-speed digital signal processing. Chapter 4 describes the direction-finding and emitter-location techniques and technologies employed by modern ESM systems.

Chapters 5 and 6 discuss the requirements, architectures, and technologies of modern RF and IR countermeasures against active RF (radars, RF missile seeker heads, and communications equipments) and IR/EO missile seeker heads.

The book concludes with five appendices providing background concepts on signal detection to support the preceding chapters: signal detection in sensor receivers in Appendix A; introductory concepts of estimation theory in Appendix B; antennas and phased-array antennas in Appendix C; analogue modulation methods in Appendix D; and evaluation of BER increase for noise and CW tone jamming in communication systems employing BFSK modulation.

Introduction to Modern EW Systems provides expert design guidance on technologies that underpin the equipment used to detect and identify emitter threats. It is an excellent resource that is an essential addition to the reference shelf of any practitioner, engineer or scientist involved in non-communications EW.

Introduction to Modern EW Systems can be ordered online through Artech House at: www.artechhouse.com.