How Unmanned Boats Implement Electronic Warfare
2024-06-11
According to foreign media reports, from May 7 to 18, Türkiye's navy held the largest exercise in the Mediterranean in recent years. In addition to conventional manned ships, submarines, aircraft, and drones, the appearance of multiple unmanned boats has become a major highlight of this exercise. The unmanned boats participating in this performance include 6 Albatross unmanned boats and 1 Marlin unmanned boat. Among them, the "Marlin" unmanned ship is the first unmanned surface ship serving in Türkiye's navy, and is also known as the world's first electronic warfare unmanned ship. The ship is 15 meters long and has a displacement of 21 tons. It is mainly equipped with the "God of War" 2N electronic support system, Area 2NC electronic countermeasures system, and a 12.7mm remote-controlled weapon station. In recent years, with the rapid development of unmanned technology, many countries have put unmanned boats into national defense applications, mainly used for intelligence reconnaissance, mine sweeping, and firepower strikes. The "Marlin Fish" unmanned boat has achieved the pioneering application of unmanned boats in the field of electronic warfare. Türkiye's National Defense Agency stressed that the "marlin fish" unmanned craft has a comprehensive electronic warfare capability. This means that the main combat function of the "Marlin" unmanned boat is not only to interfere with radar, but also includes radio frequency countermeasures, optoelectronic countermeasures, and acoustic electric countermeasures. If electronic warfare technology is further combined with unmanned vessels, more innovative tactics will be developed on the battlefield. For example, with the help of advanced electronic reconnaissance equipment and real-time threat assessment systems, electronic warfare unmanned vessels can quickly capture and analyze enemy electronic attack signals, assess threat levels. When the enemy launches an electronic attack, unmanned boats can actively interfere, release targeted electromagnetic countermeasures signals, disrupt enemy communication links, etc; Alternatively, passive interference methods can be used, such as covert techniques and waveform design, to blur the electronic features of unmanned boats and reduce the probability of detection. In addition, equipped with an automated countermeasures system, the electronic warfare unmanned vessel can adjust its defense strategy in real time, improve its combat effectiveness, enhance adaptability and survivability. In summary, if used properly, electronic warfare unmanned vessels can serve as an electronic barrier for the fleet on electromagnetic battlefields, protecting the safety of the entire fleet in complex electromagnetic environments. Although unmanned boats have certain advantages in electronic warfare, there are also obvious shortcomings. For example, due to the low height of the hull, unmanned boats are susceptible to wave impact or obstruction by large ships, which affects their detection and collection of enemy signals. At the same time, unmanned boats are unable to carry large electronic warfare equipment, limiting the effectiveness of intelligence gathering, interference monitoring, and other functions. In addition, unmanned boats also have problems such as short endurance, unstable navigation, and susceptibility to network attacks. To overcome these shortcomings, in addition to upgrading the design of unmanned boats, specialized electronic warfare systems for unmanned boats can also be developed, such as developing lightweight and compact multifunctional electronic warfare equipment to adapt to the miniaturization characteristics of unmanned boats, improve their electronic warfare effectiveness, and meet combat needs. Türkiye's unmanned ship technology has developed relatively late, and there is still a certain gap between it and actual combat application. However, Türkiye's approach to exploring and developing electronic warfare unmanned ships undoubtedly conforms to the trend of unmanned equipment development. (Lai Xin She)
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Jia jia
Source：China national defense daily
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