ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYMPOSIUM SAUDI ARABIA CONFERENCE REPORT

Transcription

1 Chairman's Report ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYMPOSIUM SAUDI ARABIA CONFERENCE REPORT Riyadh Nov 13 This 3rd Electronic Warfare (EW) Symposium to be held in Saudi Arabia was hosted by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), through its Advanced Sensors and Electronic Defence (ASED) Centre. The event was held in collaboration with the Saudi MOD and with the AOC, with principal sponsors BAE SYSTEMS and Selex ES, and organised by Tangent Link. The conference was preceded on 11 Nov 13 by a series of specialist sponsor workshops: BAE and Selex on Elint; Thales on EW Data Flow; PLATH on COMINT; Rhode and Schwarz on Global Communications; Electronica on ECM; and CSIR on EW Modelling and Simulation. The Conference had an elaborate Opening Ceremony on 12 Nov 13, with an inaugural address of the AOC Saudi Chapter of the AOC by Dr Sultan K M Almorqi, Director of the ASED Centre, followed by an AOC Address by Lt Gen Bob Elder USAF Retd. The Saudi MOD welcome was given by their CDS, HE Gen Hussein bin Abdullah Al-Qubail, and the KACST welcome by their Vice President HH Dr Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud. This was followed by an awards ceremony to recognise 9 Saudi officials for their work in enhancing EW in the Kingdom. The Keynote Address for the Conference was then given by the Chairman, on behalf of ACM Sir Glenn Torpy, BAE Systems UK, who could not be present. The remaining sessions of the day covered UK experience of RM EW exploitation in Afghanistan, developments in EW test facilities (BAE), EW operational support, future technology (Selex ES), computer EW language, and the UK s EW range at RAF Spadeadam. At the end of the day, there was a public signing of an agreement between BAE Systems and Selex ES to work together on projects in the region. The speakers on Day 2 developed the themes of Platform Protection, and there was a comprehensive session on Cyber and EW from a representative of the Saudi MOD, and Cyber Protection from Dr Mohammed Alahbabi of the UAE Armed Forces. A keynote Address was then delivered by Lt-Gen Elder on Maximising EW/ISR capabilities in an Austere Budget Environment, and the day rounded off with presentations on emerging technology, simulation and modelling for EW test and evaluation. The large audience (over 600 on Day 1, and roughly half that at start of Day 2) clearly relished the return of the EW Conference back to Saudi after a gap of several years. This was reflected in the penetrating questions from the audience after each presentation, and the lively interest in the sponsors' stands in the Exhibition Hall. The detailed organisation of the Conference by Tangent Link was well appreciated by the speakers and delegates alike, and this all bodes well for holding future EW and related conferences in the Kingdom. Air Marshall Philip Sturley Conference Chairman

2 Alan Warnes, Air Forces Monthly Alan Warnes was in Riyadh recently to attend the Association of Old Crows (AOC) latest and most ambitious conference to date. Tangent Link organised proceedings. THE THIRD electronic warfare symposium took place at the King Abdullah City for Science and Technology (KACST) complex on November 12-13, some ten years after the previous one had been held, With 743 personnel attending the opening day's proceedings both the upper and lower tier of the conference centre was packed. Most of the delegates were from KACST, Prince Sultan Advanced Research Institute (PSATRI) and the Royal Saudi Armed Forces. Over the next two days we listened to experts from Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA and UAE, talking on EW subjects such as Ground EW, EW test and evaluation, countermeasure language, Spadeadam EW Test Range, aircraft protection, new generation solutions in force/platform protection, cyber security, maximising EW/ISR Capabilities as well as EW modelling and simulation. A good cross section of EW subject matter. Driving Force KACST was the main driver for the EW conference, which was not too surprising given that its charter is to 'Propose a national policy for the development of science and technology and to devise the strategy and plans necessary to implement them.' The threat of Iran, the ongoing instability in Syria and continued troubles in Iraq are all real concerns. While Saudi may be purchasing state of the art systems from the USA and Europe, as fantastic as they all are, it is becoming increasingly concerned with an Electronic Warfare (EW) threat. Cyber warfare, Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs) and the ability to have their signals jammed are among some of their fears. Not too surprising then that Saudi Arabia wants its own national EW capability. This will see the development of skills and capabilities to provide their own mission data sets, tactics and countermeasures just as other nations have. Protecting itself from threats in the electromagnetic sphere is a priority. Establishing a national system means a common strategy being hammered out, to define requirements and more importantly get the backing of the MOD. BAE Systems whom many Saudis regard as having the ideal partnership model are working with KACST to define the way ahead. As are Saudi's leading scientists and engineers from organisations such KACST and PSATRI with support from international companies both big and small. While the big hitters like Selex ES, BAE Systems and Cassidian have the financial clout and expertise, the exhibition hall and the 30* companies present included many smaller companies, equally well skilled in their various fields of expertise. However none of them were US companies and, as a result, US defence companies desperate to bolster exports to offset a declining domestic market are set to lose out to their European counterparts. Understanding foreign cultures and the way the markets work are important when trying to sell skills, expertise and products but never more so than in the Middle East where a physical presence at an event of this type can make a real difference.

3 The Association of Old Crows (AOC), branded the conference, with the President, Lt General Bob Elder, a veteran of EW ops in the region, delivering a key note speech on 'Maximising EW/ISR capabilities in an austere defence budget environment'. It was his first time in the area since Saudi set up its own AOC Chapter, earlier this year, headed by Dr Sultan KM Almorqi the KACST's Director Advanced Sensors and Electronic Defence who played an influential role in defining the conference objectives with Tangent Link. Technology Interfaces PSATRI are the specialists focussing on providing technical advice to the RSAF and in many cases are working with foreign companies to come up with solutions in various fields. One could say they act as the interface for technology transfers. Looking around their impressive stand, stocked with some delicious dates to chew on, you could see for yourself the companies working with them. Dubai based Griffon Aerospace Middle East (GAME) is working with PSATRI to provide airborne EW training in a bid to bolster tactics/doctrine as well counter UAV ops. The company hopes to deliver several Alphajets to the region to support this work. While Italy's ELT is working with PSATRI to develop future technologies for escort jamming applications on Eurofighter and Tornado, which are predominant in the RSAF inventory. BAE Systems is working with PSATRI to set up a generic threat simulator as part of their ongoing airborne EW Test and Evaluation capability in Saudi. Workshop On the eve of the EW conference, a Workshop took place on November 11 that saw several companies making presentations to a Saudi gathering on their specialist skills. BAE and Selex ES discussed a joint paper on ELINT-It's Contribution to the Planning and Conduct of Effective Operations. The two heavyweights which have a substantial presence in Saudi Arabia have recently agreed a teaming agreement, announced at the Conference on November 13. A statement read out by Chairman, Air Marshal (retired) Philip Sturley on the close of play revealed 'a joint intent of both businesses to work together to deliver world class national EW operational support capabilities to existing and future customers'. Exhibition Area A huge tent had been erected outside of the Conference Centre, to house the stands of the 30 exhibitors present. Greeting you at the main entrance where the KACST and the MOD Stand were based were two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The bigger Sahar (Falcon) 2 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) was the main exhibit, and according to KACST, three have been built and tested so far. Under its nose was a IR FLIR. Next to it sat the smaller Sahar 4 MALE, which had only been de-classified in recent months. There are apparently two of these in existence, and it too housed a IR FLIR. Beside it were two quadcopters, which did not have names. BAE Systems had an impressive model of a RSAF Typhoon and Hawk at their stand, which ensured they stood out from the crowd. Selex ES had several exhibits including their new BriteCloud expendable active decoy - an advanced compact Digital RF Memory jammer designed to counter modern RF weapon systems. Deployed from a standard 55mm chaff and flare dispenser, it is set to feature first on the Gripen although the company is hopeful it will progress to Tornado and Typhoon. It was only publicly unveiled the previous week, on November 6.

4 BriteCloud is set to feature on Gripen, and hopefully Tornado and Typhoon as well according to Selex ES. For the latter, it will augment the company's Praetorian defensive Aids Subsystem along with its towed decoy. The company has plans to develop a 2x1x8 version of BriteCloud, which would appeal to the F-16 operators and open a whole new bigger market. Conference There were some very high level dignitaries present to open proceedings. The Saudi Chief of Staff, His Excellency General Hussein bin Abdullah Al-Qubail opened the event alongside Dr Turki bin Saudi bin Mohammed Al-Saud the Vice President for Research Institutes, KACST. Also present were the Chiefs of the Navy and Air Force. Air Marshal (retd) Philip Sturley who chaired the Conference, delivered the keynote speech in the place of former RAF Chief of Air Staff, ACM (retd) Sir Glenn Torpy who was called away at the last moment. He set the tone of the conference with his 20 minute delivery. "We live in a fascinating time" he told us, "because of the impact of dwindling budgets, security challenges not least being Syria and Iran, the imminent end of ops in Afghanistan and the continuing increase in threats from cyberspace. "As a result, Electronic Warfare will play an increasing role in this very challenging environment. "Recent conflicts have steered capability development in certain directions, like the focus on defeating certain types of IEDs and some aspects of cyber protection. This has led to the underinvestment in some areas of EW. "Over the last 20 years or so, the allies have enjoyed the luxury of 'uncontested' environments. This has had a significant impact on operational doctrine and equipment developments. UAVs are now forming an integral part of today's force structure but they are relatively fragile, because of issues like sophisticated integrated air defence system (IADS) MANPADS and the reliability on satellite and line of sight communications. However UAV s have the capability of providing persistence that has never been able to be delivered from manned platforms. "So as we move into a 'contested environment for future UAV and UCAVs how do we provide that capability? If we want more stealth with newer radars, will endurance be compromised and will advanced technologies push up the price? More EW is likely to lead to more pods and Tactical RD (TRD). Will the concept of operations need to be revised with more stand off capabilities? "We can design sensors and AESA radars - hoovering up data, but malicious signals could seriously damage any advantage. Cyber warfare is a real concern and we must design software and hardware to be cyber resilient. At the same time we must provide EW support for force and platform protection." There was plenty to think about and over the next two days, the speakers discussed their specialist areas, often culminating in questions from an audience, clearly eager to learn. Talking to Dr Sultan Almorqi, the day after the event, and shortly after the Saudi debrief, it was clear that everyone had deemed the 3rd EW Conference a huge success. With the

5 Saudi's overwhelming desire to learn and improve their country's defensive posture, its likely that such events will take place sooner rather than later. It certainly won't be another ten years! Sponsors Of course no conference could be successful without its sponsors. Tangent Link, Association of Old Crows (AOC) and KACST would like to thank the Principal Sponsors, BAE Systems and Selex ES; Associate Sponsors Aselsan and GEW Technologies; and Workshop Sponsors, Plath, Thales, Rhode & Schwarz, CSIR and ELT.