Leonardo to deliver NATO EW training equipment

Leonardo has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to provide new EW training equipment for the NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS), the company announced on 4 February.

Under the €180 million contract, Leonardo will incorporate technology from its partners Cobham and Elettronica. The equipment will be delivered in tranches over the next four years and will cover air, land and maritime domains. The UK MoD is the host nation for NATO JEWCS, which is based at the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton.

NATO JEWCS is the alliance agency responsible for EW as well as to improve the armed forces training by simulating the effects of an enemy’s advanced EW equipment during exercises.

In the air, Leonardo will supply flexible pod-based EW systems for deployment on aircraft, alongside a NATO anti-ship missile defence evaluation facility (NASMDEF).

NASMDEF comprises a set of pods that can be installed on aircraft to simulate anti-ship missiles. These allow forces to train in the use of ‘soft-kill countermeasures’ which are used to protect ships from incoming threats. Cobham will be Leonardo’s principle sub-contractor for these elements.

For land and maritime applications, fully ruggedised shelters and vehicles will be provided equipped with modular and flexible EW simulators, stimulators and jamming equipment. Elettronica will act as Leonardo’s principal sub-contractor for these elements.