Army to Launch New Airborne Jammer and Ground EW Programs in 2026
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.