Leonardo unveiled BriteCloud, the world’s first expendable Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) jammer for fast jets, on November 6, 2013. This revolutionary device is designed to counter the increasingly sophisticated RF threats on the modern battlefield, giving fighter pilots a higher chance of survival. As part of its technical collaboration, Saab is the first partner to offer the BriteCloud signal jammer as an Electronic Warfare Enhancement Option for its Gripen fighter platform, making this advanced self-defense capability available to all versions of the Gripen, both new and legacy.
Threats to Fast Jets
High-speed jets often encounter highly developed air and ground-based RF threats while performing their missions in the air. Today, surface-to-air missile systems have become more flexible and powerful, especially those equipped with high-precision RF tracking systems. Whether they are fixed missile launchers or mobile surface-to-air missiles, they can be launched in "pop-up" mode to surprise aircraft entering the target area, posing a great threat. Many legacy missile systems have been upgraded and equipped with modern electronics, which significantly enhances their tracking and strike capabilities, making traditional countermeasures ineffective. At the same time, modern threat systems often have electronic protection measures (EPM), which further increases the difficulty of effectively jamming them.
BriteCloud Signal Jammer Solution
For these complex threats, BriteCloud provides a powerful countermeasure. Unlike the old generation of simple repeater decoys that can only target traditional continuous wave transmitters, BriteCloud signal jammer is based on DRFM technology and can confuse missiles and radars by providing Doppler and range shielding. This means that it can create false target signals that successfully deceive the radar's range and speed "gate" recognition mechanism and destroy the lock of the enemy tracking system. In this way, BriteCloud signal jammer can effectively defeat a range of modern RF threat systems, including those anti-aircraft missiles with chaff recognition technology.
Another important feature of the BriteCloud c is its independence as an off-board signal jammer. Traditional airborne jammers usually rely on the aircraft's own systems to process jamming signals, which means that their activation will inadvertently expose the aircraft's location. The BriteCloud signal jammer operates completely independently of the aircraft platform, and all jamming processing is performed inside the device, and it can quickly maintain a long distance from the fighter after launch. This independence greatly reduces the risk of missiles exploding near the fighter and increases the aircraft's chance of survival.
Advantages of DRFM Jammer Technology
- Powerful jamming capability based on DRFM: By capturing and processing enemy radar signals, BriteCloud can generate multiple false targets to confuse missiles and radars, especially suitable for countering modern air defense and electronic warfare systems.
- Economical and efficient consumable design: BriteCloud is designed to be disposable, with low cost advantages, suitable for large-scale deployment, and will not cause significant losses even if it is destroyed.
- Enhanced fighter defense: By creating false targets, BriteCloud wins more time and space for fighters, helping them evade attacks and improve overall defense capabilities.
BriteCloud Signal Jammers for Future Threats
One of the great benefits of BriteCloud signal jammers is their programmability. This means that as future threats evolve, BriteCloud signal jammers can be upgraded with software to maintain their capabilities. Leonardo has also set up an Electronic Warfare Operational Support (EWOS) system to help customers optimize BriteCloud device jammers for specific regions and specific threats based on the needs of different missions. This technology ensures that BriteCloud will continue to work in the face of unknown RF threats in the future.
Through its electronic warfare facility in Lincoln, UK, Leonardo offers a range of programming options that give end users complete autonomy over BriteCloud. This support ensures that customers can continuously adjust and optimize the performance of the device based on the unique threat situations they face, so as to stay ahead of the ever-changing battlefield environment.
As a revolutionary DRFM jammer blocker, BriteCloud provides a new way for high-speed jet aircraft to deal with modern complex RF threats. With its Doppler and distance shielding capabilities based on DRFM technology, and its independent off-board jamming design, BriteCloud provides a powerful means of self-defense. Its programmability ensures that it can maintain continuous confrontation capabilities as future threats evolve, and Leonardo provides customers with support for optimized programming through the EWOS system. As a cost-effective consumable device, the BriteCloud signal jammer is expected to become a core component of fighter self-defense systems in the future.
