Hensoldt and Rafael to Cooperate on Providing Electronic Warfare Capabilities to the German Luftwaffe

On 18 October 2022, Hensoldt and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems signed a cooperation agreement to jointly offer airborne electronic warfare (EW) capabilities to the Luftwaffe. The two have agreed to jointly integrate Rafael’s Sky Shield airborne EW pod with Hensoldt’s KALAETRON Attack airborne electronic attack (EA) system. This capability supports the Luftwaffe’s decision to adapt the Eurofighter Typhoon into an EA platform. The new EA pod uses the existing interfaces of the Litening Pod, which has already been combat-proven on the Typhoon, thus simplifying the integration efforts.

HENSOLDT has developed the “Kalaetron Attack” Airborne Jamming System which recently confirmed its effectiveness against enemy air defence radars. It is part of HENSOLDT’s digital ‘Kalaetron’ product family, which is used in self-protection and signal intelligence systems in the German armed forces. In addition to cognitive software elements, the core comprises a broadband sensor and software defined jammer. The jammer can be integrated into common pod formats or directly into bodies of various aerial platforms. The system uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to classify unknown threats.

RAFAEL’s Sky Shield Escort Jammer is a military-off-the-shelf solution which has already been delivered to several customers worldwide, allowing for easy integration onto fast jet platforms. By using AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) technology, the wideband jamming pod covers a high frequency range, and Sky Shield can generate simultaneous jamming and deception transmissions against multiple threats.

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