[Popular Science of Chinese Military Technology] Victory or defeat is decided in silence - how important will electronic confrontation in aerospace be in the future?

With the rapid development of aerospace technology, the space power of various countries is quietly rising. Although space is silent, the struggle in the aerospace field is going on fiercely. Among them, aerospace electronic countermeasure technology, as an important part of the aerospace technology field, is generally regarded as an important "role" by various countries. As one of the important strategic means for a country to seize the "space control power", aerospace electronic countermeasure has become the focus of attention of countries around the world.

From the perspective of practical application, aerospace electronic countermeasures can be implemented without geographical or temporal restrictions, and can be based on ground-based, air-based or space-based methods to implement electronic interference or physical attacks on information transmission links, payloads and flight platforms, to achieve the purpose of deception, disruption, interception, paralysis and destruction. At the same time, aerospace electronic countermeasures can rely on aerospace technology to approach space targets, greatly improving the combat effectiveness of space electronic countermeasures.

Concept map of space electronic countermeasures (source)

In a broad sense, aerospace electronic countermeasures have two meanings. One is to weaken the combat effectiveness of the enemy's aerospace information system and implement electronic countermeasure reconnaissance and electronic interference. The second is to actively protect one's own aerospace information system and actively defend satellites, spacecraft, space stations and other aerospace units to ensure that the system can exert its maximum combat effectiveness. The former includes saturation suppression, signal disruption, information deception and space-based network control, which can be classified as the dimension of electronic warfare, using the "soft kill" method of electronic countermeasures to achieve military goals. The latter relies on electronic technology to provide electronic protection for one's own aerospace electronic information equipment and counter-strike protection for various platforms in space.

Conceptual image of a space electronic countermeasure network composed of multiple satellites ** (Source: Internet image)**

Just imagine, if there is insufficient preparation in the field of electronic countermeasures in space, it will inevitably lead to crises on both the offensive and defensive ends, thus threatening the safety of the entire space program. It can be said that aerospace electronic countermeasures are an important means of high-tech information warfare, and electronic countermeasure attack and defense systems will become important aerospace equipment in the future. For example, laser weapons, radio frequency weapons and particle beam weapons emit extremely high radiation, and their high-power microwave energy can enter the interior of electronic equipment through the antennas, cracks, seams and holes of enemy electronic equipment, causing damage and permanent destruction to electronic components.

Screenshot of Japan's focus on electronic warfare news video ** (Source: Internet image)**

In fact, in the field of electronic warfare, the United States, Russia and other countries have taken the lead. On August 1, 2015, Russia merged the Air Force and the Aerospace Defense Force to form the Russian Aerospace Force, and focused on the development of multiple military technologies in the aerospace field, including electronic warfare. In April 2017, the U.S. Air Force Space Command formulated the "Space Warfare Framework" (SWC) to guide the development of the future space force system. The U.S. Air Force is fully developing the Space-Based Laser (SBL) weapon system and making full use of the electronic technology of private companies such as SpaceX to achieve its goal of integrated space attack and defense. Japan has also revised the "Defense Program Outline", and space, network, and electronic warfare are important additions.

Concept map of space laser weapons ** (Source: Internet image)**

From the perspective of actual application scenarios, the strength of aerospace electronic countermeasures will be a key factor in seizing space dominance and then taking the initiative in war. Whether it is attack or defense, aerospace electronic countermeasures technology will be a deeply integrated, broad-based, and multidisciplinary technology that affects the safety of space exploration and the protection of space interests. In the new form of military struggle where the global space resource development boom is further rising and the trend of future space operations is intensifying, aerospace electronic countermeasures are attracting widespread attention from various countries with their special advantages and value. In the silent space, the electronic countermeasure game is quietly unfolding.

Expert profile: Wang Teng, a popular science expert on military equipment, holds a master's degree from the Army Armored Forces Academy. He has worked in frontline military news at CCTV and People's Daily, and has participated in the planning and production of many military science and technology topics. He has been conducting popular science research on domestic and foreign high-tech equipment and main combat equipment of various arms for a long time. He has published articles on platforms such as People's Daily Overseas Edition, Legal Daily, and Science Popularization China, and won the Advanced Individual Award issued by the "National Informatization Leading Group".

Produced by: Popular Science China Military Technology Frontier

Author: Wang Teng (senior military science writer)

Scientific review: Fei Boyu (military expert)

Planning: Jin He

Producer: Guangming Online Science Department