AUSA 2024: Leonardo launches BriteStorm stand-in jammer payload

Leonardo launched its new BriteStorm stand-in jammer payload at the 2024 Association of the US Army (AUSA) exhibition, held in Washington, DC, from 14 to 16 October.

BriteStorm is billed by Leonardo as a revolutionary low size, weight and power (SWAP) stand-in jammer that is designed for easy integration onto attritable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and a wide range of launched effects.

Mounted on unmanned aerial platforms in advance of a strike package comprising manned aircraft, BriteStorm can act as a decoy to stimulate enemy air defences, as well as producing obscuration and confusion techniques to deny an enemy the ability to build up a complete air picture.

The core of BriteStorm is a Leonardo-developed advanced miniature techniques generator that, when paired with a range of transmit/receive modules and antennas, can produce “world-beating stand-in jamming capabilities”, according to Leonardo. The system can automatically detect threat signals based on user-defined mission data, use measured signal parametrics to identify threat signals and select an appropriate counter to them, and track threat system modes to automatically present a countermeasures response.

Mark Randall, campaign manager for electronic warfare at Leonardo UK, told ESD at AUSA 2024 on 15 October that BriteStorm is currently in low-rate initial production, with the Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) of the Royal Air Force (RAF) having ordered a number of payloads. The RCO has successfully conducted flight trials with BriteStorm on a UAV, Randall confirmed.

He added that Leonardo is now in the process of engaging with a number of prime contractors and potential end users regarding BriteStorm, with three payloads available for testing in the United States.

Target programmes for the capability include the US Army’s Air-Launched Effects (ALE) and Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft System (FTUAS) programmes, the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme and the RAF’s Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) strategy.