Electronic Warfare

WASHINGTON — After discontinuing its decade-long pursuit of long-range electronic warfare platforms, the U.S. Army is preparing to launch new airborne and ground-based EW programs in 2026, marking a significant strategic pivot toward modularity and commercial technology integration. Brig. Gen. Kevin Chaney, the Army’s Capability Program Executive for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors, acknowledged that the original Multi-Function Electronic Warfare program suffered from an “old-school monolithic acquisition approach.” The abandoned vision—mounting a single large EW pod on an MQ-1 Predator variant and deploying heavy truck-based ground systems—proved inflexible and difficult to deploy globally.

High-value airborne assets—including KC-46 and KC-135 tankers, C-5 and C-17 cargo aircraft, and P-8 maritime patrol platforms—form the backbone of U.S. military power projection. Yet these critical enablers face a growing threat from advanced adversaries deploying long-range weaponry that’s reshaping contested airspace. Traditionally, tankers and cargo aircraft operated in relative safety, far from engagement zones. But proliferation of sophisticated surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles by China and Russia is fundamentally changing the operational calculus. “We still need to perform aerial refueling and cargo transport missions,” explains Jared Belinsky, product line director of Integrated Survivability Solutions at BAE Systems. “But our tankers and cargo aircraft are going to be pushed farther away from their area of responsibility or they’re going to need protection—either electromagnetic or kinetic—to fly in contested spaces.”