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Could an air-launched cyber attack work effectively in an operational environment? That's a yes if you ask the Israeli Airforce.
In 2007, the IAF launched "Operation Orchard",a strike into Syria to disable a suspected nuclear reactor. The target was destroyed without a single Israeli loss, and not a single Syrian SAM was launched. How did they manage to sneak past an entire air-defense network undetected? Many officials believe that a system similar to the BAE "Suter" cyberwarfare tool was used to spoof Syrian radars. Suter according to Wiki (2):
"Three generations of Suter have been developed. Suter 1 allows its operators to monitor what enemy radar operators can see. Suter 2 lets them take control of the enemy's networks and direct their sensors. Suter 3, tested in summer 2006, enables the invasion of links to time-critical targets such as battlefield ballistic missile launchers or mobile surface-to-air missile launchers."
Whether we like it or not cyber warfare is becoming an increasingly important part of military operations not only in the traditional sense of attacking networks from some far facility in the interior of your country, but tactically too like in Operation Orchard. This is where the NGJ comes into play.
The Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) is coming online in 2020/2021 and its going to bring an impressive set of new capabilities, in particular is a Gallium Nitride-based AESA array that could send a data stream to infect an enemy network with a malicious cyber weapon like Suter. as one article (1)(5) quotes:
"Although researchers are cautious about discussing their cyberwarfare and electronic attack projects, one company states that it is "developing a weapon system that can deliver cyber-effects through free space into an aperture.That opaque explanation refers to a cyber-weapon, sized for a tactical aircraft or UAV, that can create a long-range data stream -- most likely from an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) emitter. The emitter will function both as radar and the source of these uniquely tailored data streams that could be used for electronic attack and cyber-invasion."
“For example an airbase has anti-aircraft artillery, radar coverage, and the ability to launch aircraft. Our interface enables us to enable, disable, and reduce the effectiveness of the capabilities. The capabilities of each individual asset are open to attack through cyber vectors,” the study notes."
A modular system like NGJ will be capable of being operated mostly independent of the host aircraft and also easily integrated into that host aircraft: (4)
"Initially, the jammer will be installed on the Navy’s dedicated electronic warfare platform, the EA-18 Growler. Yuse said the pods could also be installed on aircraft such as the Navy’s unmanned UCLASS with relatively few changes required: “It is a very flexible design that does not require a lot of aircraft modifications — we kind of refer to it as smart pod.”
"Part of the reason few changes are required for new aircraft is that the pod contains virtually everything needed. “From an operational standpoint it’s pretty independent. It’s not very intrusive into the aircraft’s avionics.”
While the quotes above refer to the EA-18G and the UCLASS as prime candidates for NGJ integration, the F-35 is also expected to mount the NGJ in addition to another mysterious "cyberpod" in prototype phase. (3)
"The F-35 programme is considering integration of a next-generation EW capability that could allow pilots to control enemy weapon systems"
"So far in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, electronic warfare has been the massive application of a lot of energy; we've been able to direct that energy," he said. "Now we're looking to make that energy smaller and to do something with it. This is to get in to their control systems."
Cyber attack built into easily-integrated pod likes NGJ would give a another formidable weapon to US pilots when dealing with advanced air-defense systems. The GaN-based AESA will also provide excellent traditional jamming, and is said to have performed well against advanced simulated threats (6)
"The NGJ, which integrates electronic countermeasures, cyber operations and signals intelligence, reportedly performed well in its first airborne tests in October 2014. The tests, held at the China lake test range in California, were conducted against advanced radars similar to those operated by China and Russia."
SIGINT and communications capabilities are not know to the public but hinted at (4)
"Perhaps the most intriguing tidbit from our conversation, which occurred July 2, was Yuse’s mention of “an AESA array that can do EW, coms, radar, SIGINT all at the same time.” Most observers know that AESA can handle EW and radar. But there’s been very little public discussion of AESA’s ability to perform Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) or its ability to serve as a communications array. Aviation Week‘s Amy Butler and I asked Lockheed’s head of the F-35 program on Thursday about whether AESA could serve as a communication’s device, and we got the “I’m not sure I can discuss that” answer. AESA as a communications device makes sense given its digital nature. If you can turn voice into zeroes and ones, then you should be able to send and receive that information."
"The pod includes algorithms with a data library to read the existing threats or targets and to offer responses."
The combination of powerful GaN AESA-based jamming, flexible reactive jamming, communications, and cyber attack functionalities in an airborne package marks a huge leap forward in electronic warfare in general.
SAMs beware!
Sources/References
(1)US Navy Wants to Field Cyber-Attack System
(2)Suter (computer program) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(3)Navy League 2015: F-35 studies next-generation EW capability - IHS Jane's 360
(4)The $10B Next Generation Jammer Is ‘On Track, On Schedule’ « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary
(5)Cyber Can Kill SAMs | DoD Buzz
(6)Navy boosts Raytheon's contract for Next Generation Jammer -- Defense Systems
In 2007, the IAF launched "Operation Orchard",a strike into Syria to disable a suspected nuclear reactor. The target was destroyed without a single Israeli loss, and not a single Syrian SAM was launched. How did they manage to sneak past an entire air-defense network undetected? Many officials believe that a system similar to the BAE "Suter" cyberwarfare tool was used to spoof Syrian radars. Suter according to Wiki (2):
"Three generations of Suter have been developed. Suter 1 allows its operators to monitor what enemy radar operators can see. Suter 2 lets them take control of the enemy's networks and direct their sensors. Suter 3, tested in summer 2006, enables the invasion of links to time-critical targets such as battlefield ballistic missile launchers or mobile surface-to-air missile launchers."
Whether we like it or not cyber warfare is becoming an increasingly important part of military operations not only in the traditional sense of attacking networks from some far facility in the interior of your country, but tactically too like in Operation Orchard. This is where the NGJ comes into play.
The Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) is coming online in 2020/2021 and its going to bring an impressive set of new capabilities, in particular is a Gallium Nitride-based AESA array that could send a data stream to infect an enemy network with a malicious cyber weapon like Suter. as one article (1)(5) quotes:
"Although researchers are cautious about discussing their cyberwarfare and electronic attack projects, one company states that it is "developing a weapon system that can deliver cyber-effects through free space into an aperture.That opaque explanation refers to a cyber-weapon, sized for a tactical aircraft or UAV, that can create a long-range data stream -- most likely from an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) emitter. The emitter will function both as radar and the source of these uniquely tailored data streams that could be used for electronic attack and cyber-invasion."
“For example an airbase has anti-aircraft artillery, radar coverage, and the ability to launch aircraft. Our interface enables us to enable, disable, and reduce the effectiveness of the capabilities. The capabilities of each individual asset are open to attack through cyber vectors,” the study notes."
A modular system like NGJ will be capable of being operated mostly independent of the host aircraft and also easily integrated into that host aircraft: (4)
"Initially, the jammer will be installed on the Navy’s dedicated electronic warfare platform, the EA-18 Growler. Yuse said the pods could also be installed on aircraft such as the Navy’s unmanned UCLASS with relatively few changes required: “It is a very flexible design that does not require a lot of aircraft modifications — we kind of refer to it as smart pod.”
"Part of the reason few changes are required for new aircraft is that the pod contains virtually everything needed. “From an operational standpoint it’s pretty independent. It’s not very intrusive into the aircraft’s avionics.”
While the quotes above refer to the EA-18G and the UCLASS as prime candidates for NGJ integration, the F-35 is also expected to mount the NGJ in addition to another mysterious "cyberpod" in prototype phase. (3)
"The F-35 programme is considering integration of a next-generation EW capability that could allow pilots to control enemy weapon systems"
"So far in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, electronic warfare has been the massive application of a lot of energy; we've been able to direct that energy," he said. "Now we're looking to make that energy smaller and to do something with it. This is to get in to their control systems."
Cyber attack built into easily-integrated pod likes NGJ would give a another formidable weapon to US pilots when dealing with advanced air-defense systems. The GaN-based AESA will also provide excellent traditional jamming, and is said to have performed well against advanced simulated threats (6)
"The NGJ, which integrates electronic countermeasures, cyber operations and signals intelligence, reportedly performed well in its first airborne tests in October 2014. The tests, held at the China lake test range in California, were conducted against advanced radars similar to those operated by China and Russia."
SIGINT and communications capabilities are not know to the public but hinted at (4)
"Perhaps the most intriguing tidbit from our conversation, which occurred July 2, was Yuse’s mention of “an AESA array that can do EW, coms, radar, SIGINT all at the same time.” Most observers know that AESA can handle EW and radar. But there’s been very little public discussion of AESA’s ability to perform Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) or its ability to serve as a communications array. Aviation Week‘s Amy Butler and I asked Lockheed’s head of the F-35 program on Thursday about whether AESA could serve as a communication’s device, and we got the “I’m not sure I can discuss that” answer. AESA as a communications device makes sense given its digital nature. If you can turn voice into zeroes and ones, then you should be able to send and receive that information."
"The pod includes algorithms with a data library to read the existing threats or targets and to offer responses."
The combination of powerful GaN AESA-based jamming, flexible reactive jamming, communications, and cyber attack functionalities in an airborne package marks a huge leap forward in electronic warfare in general.
SAMs beware!
Sources/References
(1)US Navy Wants to Field Cyber-Attack System
(2)Suter (computer program) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(3)Navy League 2015: F-35 studies next-generation EW capability - IHS Jane's 360
(4)The $10B Next Generation Jammer Is ‘On Track, On Schedule’ « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary
(5)Cyber Can Kill SAMs | DoD Buzz
(6)Navy boosts Raytheon's contract for Next Generation Jammer -- Defense Systems
(one,s i read an article what is written by formal ussr grat air craft designer antonov/ mikahouns )
