In May 2023, BAE Systems supported the U.S. Air Force F-15 Combined Test Force at Northern Edge 2023 (NE23), a large-scale military exercise focused on training and experimentation in Alaska and sponsored by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The exercise involved thousands service members, over 150 aircraft, and multiple international partners. Participants trained and explored new tactics and capabilities for highly contested battle spaces.
During NE23, BAE Systems’ electronic warfare (EW) experts experimented with new capabilities for the company’s Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS, a state-of-the-art EW system on F-15E and F-15EX aircraft.
Collaborating closely with the U.S. Air Force and Boeing, the BAE Systems team supported more than 70 EPAWSS sorties, completed more than 15 experimental test objectives, and demonstrated EPAWSS’ ability to counter advanced, complex electromagnetic threats in an operationally relevant test environment.
“We’re advancing the state of EW for the U.S. and its allies, and Northern Edge 2023 was an excellent opportunity to challenge EPAWSS with complex, real-world conditions,” said Brandon Child, EPAWSS program director at BAE Systems.
EPAWSS’ cognitive EW capabilities, including the ability to detect, identify, analyze, and jam unknown threats, were key areas of interest during NE23. The team’s efforts centered on continuous improvement, quickly generating iterative mission data files (MDF) and accelerating EPAWSS’ ability to impact the mission. BAE Systems updated EPAWSS mission software during the exercise, demonstrating agile software rapid reprogramming skills. The MDF and software updates significantly improved air-to-air jamming performance, helping the U.S. and its allies hone their tactics and skills to dominate electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO).
