Winning the First Minutes: ASELSAN EW Clear the Way Through Contested Airspace

For this reason, electronic warfare has evolved from a supporting capability into an integral element of modern air operations. Ground-based electronic warfare systems used against radars, airborne jamming systems employed to escort friendly forces, and unmanned electronic warfare systems now operate together to reduce the effectiveness of enemy sensors. Their task is to create protected corridors and enhance the survivability of crewed and un-crewed aircraft. ASELSAN has developed solutions covering both land-based and airborne electronic warfare systems that enable this operational concept to be implemented.

The land-based system performing electronic warfare missions is the KORAL AD 100, designed by ASELSAN engineers specifically for the modern integrated air-defence environment. The system combines electronic support and electronic attack capabilities, all integrated on a single highly mobile wheeled platform. Rather than acting directly against an aircraft, the system neutralises the radar in the nose of an enemy fighter, effectively depriving it of its ability to “see.”

KORAL AD 100 electronic warfare system on wheeled chassis

The electronic support subsystem continuously detects, classifies, and identifies hostile radar emissions, while also being able to precisely track multiple emitters in azimuth and elevation. The system is adapted to operate in environments with a high density of continuous-wave signals and signals with high pulse-repetition frequencies. KORAL AD can be used to create a comprehensive picture of the electromagnetic spectrum environment before an electronic attack begins.

Once threats have been identified, the system uses high-power jamming and deception techniques capable of reducing radar detection ranges and degrading the effectiveness of tracking multiple targets simultaneously. KORAL AD can rapidly respond to threats posed by modern radars through its integrated Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) architecture, rapid target acquisition, and high-power transmitters. These capabilities allow the system to be used as an element in creating an anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) environment.

KORAL AD is an integral element of Steel Dome, the integrated multilayered air-defence system also developed by ASELSAN. This allows Steel Dome to be enhanced with electronic warfare capabilities by supporting radar suppression, protecting defended assets, and providing greater operational freedom for friendly air-defence systems.

As unmanned aerial systems take on increasingly complex operational missions, electronic warfare equipment is becoming essential for enhancing their survivability and mission effectiveness in contested airspace. ASELSAN’s ANTIDOT family enables tactical unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct advanced electronic support and electronic attack missions without the need to employ specialized crewed aircraft.

Electronic warfare pod ANTIDOT 2ES 100

The ANTIDOT 2ES 100 electronic support system enhances electromagnetic-spectrum situational awareness by detecting, identifying, and precisely geo-locating hostile radar emitters. Thanks to its wide frequency coverage, integrated threat library, and precise direction-finding capabilities, the system continuously records and analyses radar signals while transmitting intelligence data in real time to a ground control station. Its lightweight 30 kg design enables easy integration with tactical-class unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing stand-off reconnaissance and threat mapping without exposing personnel to hostile air defences.

Complementing the capabilities of the ANTIDOT 2ES 100 electronic support system is the airborne ANTIDOT 2EA 200 variant. It can transform tactical unmanned aerial vehicles into highly effective electronic attack platforms. The ANTIDOT 2EA 200 operates fully autonomously. It can suppress and deceive hostile air-defence radars through high output power, Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) architecture, and advanced electronic attack techniques across a wide frequency range.

By combining the ability to engage multiple threats simultaneously with escort-jamming capability in support of friendly aircraft, the system protects not only the unmanned aircraft carrying it but also nearby friendly air assets, allowing them to approach defended targets with significantly greater survivability. The ANTIDOT 2EA 200 is lightweight at 49 kg, modular, and easy to integrate. It enables conventional unmanned aerial vehicles to gain advanced electronic warfare capabilities against hostile radar systems without compromising the effectiveness of their primary missions.

Electronic warfare pod ANTIDOT 2EA 200 / Copyrights: ASELSAN

The effectiveness of electronic warfare systems is no longer assessed solely in terms of output power or jamming range. Today, the effectiveness of EW capabilities depends on the ability to detect, analyze, and shape the electromagnetic environment faster than the adversary.

ASELSAN is therefore able to provide a complete family of complementary electronic warfare solutions, from KORAL AD to the various ANTIDOT variants, forming an integrated electronic warfare architecture spanning both the land and air domains. As modern operations become increasingly software-defined and network-centric, this layered approach enables armed forces to gain operational advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum of the battlefield.

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