A Senior Solutions Architect at RBAT – The Impact of Electromagnetic Signals on Combat Power

The modern battlefield is a dangerous place, with the use and denial of electromagnetic radio frequency (‘RF’) signals often being the difference between victory and defeat. Today’s weaponry is not limited to bullets, missiles and artillery (known as ‘hard kill’ systems), but also all types of RF transmitter and receivers such as RF communications systems, radars, detectors, jammers, and spoofing assets (some known as ‘soft kill’ assets). The result is that the electromagnetic spectrum, and who controls it, can have a direct impact on the battlefield.

Given the importance of the EM Spectrum and the criticality of EM dominance, Rheinmetall Barzan Advanced Technologies (‘RBAT’) has made sure that the State of Qatar has access to a pool of locally available expertise in these fields.

Breaking the Sound Barrier: How RF Communication is Revolutionizing Combat Power

RF Communication allows military troops to share information in real-time, enabling rapid decision-making, receiving orders from commanders, and coordinating their activities more effectively.  Additionally, by improving situational awareness, RF communication technology keeps military personnel informed about the battlefield situation, including the precise location and movements of friendly and enemy forces.

RF Communication requires a ‘transmitter’ that generates signals which are intended to be received by a ‘receiver’, and these signals are sent through electromagnetic (EM) waves.

For long distances, signals are usually transmitted (known as ‘propagated’) through the air and have predefined characteristics such as:

• frequency bands (HF (0.5–30 MHz), VHF (30– 300 MHz), UHF (300–3,000 MHz), and SHF(3GHz-30GHz), 
• type (analog signal) and
• modulation (analog modulation (AM,FM ,PM and  SSB) or digital modulation (ASK,FSK , PSK, QPSK and QAM). 

Moreover, the transmission and receiving channels are designed to ensure well-received signals, taking into account radio signal losses and the environment.

RF Communication a critical means communication system between military personnel on the battlefield. 

Silent yet Effective: The Soft Kill System’s Electromagnetic Signal Disrupts Enemies Without a Sound

Advanced technology has become prevalent across the battlefield. Although this bring various advantages, it also generates new vulnerabilities that soft kill assets and techniques can exploit to sway the outcome of the battle – both in defense and offense. 

Effective communication among different units is essential to manage military personnel and equipment effectively across the battlefield. Soft Kill equipment used in an offensive manner generally comprises of a radio frequency transmitter equipped with a transmitter antenna that emits high-output power, which is used to disrupt the successful exchange of information between the sender and the receiver. Soft kill assets can be used to:

• disrupt the enemy communication,
• limit their situation awareness by ‘blinding’ radios, radars or other electronic systems,
• sending the enemy asset to a wrong location using GNSS spoofing. 

EW equipment can also be used in a defensive and support manner, in order to:

• securing communications by using various advanced encrypted techniques to resist jamming signals from the enemy,
• providing situational awareness by detecting enemy assets,
• provide intelligence and insight on enemy movements or capabilities.

The combined result is that friendly forces are able to gain a significant tactical advantage, potentially without alerting the enemy to their presence.

Controlling the electromagnetic signal in warfare is key to degrading, neutralizing, or destroying enemy combat capability. 

Cracking the Code: Understanding the Power of the Electromagnetic Signals in Modern Warfare

The data sent as electromagnetic waves during military operations usually contain sensitive information that could be lost or intercepted by the enemy (due to noise and interference). If the EM propagation models are not taken into consideration, then lives are at risk.

Understanding the electromagnetic theory is essential for designing and executing a successful military operations using various practical systems such as antennas, radar, geosciences, remote sensing, and communication (eg., RF, optical, wireless, and broadcasting). This consideration is baselined into the products and solutions that RBAT offers military customers, ensuring that the military system’s design is fit for purpose in operational environments.

The electromagnetic field theory, coined “Maxwell’s equations,“ is based on a set of fundamental equations defined by James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, and mathematician. These equations are physical laws linking the relation and variation of charges (at rest and in motion) that produce electric and magnetic fieldsand associated electromagnetic waves. In other words, electromagnetic waves are formed due to the interaction between electric and magnetic fields. 

To send data and information, electromagnetic waves are transmitted by the sender and received by the receiver. It is transmitted at the speed of light through different types of middleware, However, for easy deployment and long-distance communication, most military operations use a vacuum as a medium.

The power of using EM signals in modern warfare lies in their ability to communicate critical information and disrupt or disable enemy military assets. 

Achieving Ultimate Combat Power

During wartime, getting the lead in Electronic Warfare and controlling the electromagnetic spectrum, in parallel with deploying powerful hard kill systems, allows the military to have a completed ecosystem that provides detection, offensive, and protection capabilities. 

Understanding the EM concept and the RF signal are essential for modern military operations and will continue to play a critical role in future warfare.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Electronic Warfare, leave a comment below or reach out to Dr. Rim Rammal for more information.

About Rim Rammal

Dr. Rim Rammal is an experienced Senior Solution Architect with extensive experience in RF solution design, electronic warfare training, and both front-end and back-end electronic systems. She takes pride in developing customized system solutions for military passive and active protection sensors, drawing on her solid RF expertise.  As a senior solution architect, her primary goal is to provide tailored technical solutions for military applications, including complete system architecture design. Beyond her professional pursuits, Dr. Rammal is also recognized and appreciated for her multicultural cooking skills.