Electronic Warfare ELINT Receivers

This three day course will provide detailed insight into radar Electronic Warfare receivers, including their tactical employment and the evolution of their requirements (driven by threat developments). There will be significant emphasis on shipboard and submarine operational considerations. Receivers in both defensive warning and payload (ISR intercept) roles will be covered. Hostile Radar will be covered from the EW point of view, particularly the challenges modern radars present to RWR and ISR systems.. This will include radar waveforms (including modern pulse compression and pulse Doppler radars). Early warning and acquision systems and modern (double digit SAM) will be covered at the system and functional level. Note that there are also have significant communication signal aspects in both ISR and situation awareness roles. This is a practical, hands-on course in the design, evaluation and application of Electronic Warfare receiver systems. There are 12 course modules; each includes lecture and carefully structured in-class problems. The course starts with an introduction to the types of radio links important to EW and a review of dB equations. It moves on to describe important EW signal modulations: radar signals (including modern radars), communication signals (including all types of low probability of intercept (LPI) signals. Next it covers radio propagation formulas (line of sight, 2-ray, knife edge diffraction and over water). Then it covers the types of EW receivers, antennas and other technical aspects of EW receiver systems – including search, emitter location and man-machine interface. Attendees will learn how to calculate the sensitivity and dynamic range of analog and digital receiver systems. Finally, the course covers Radar Warning receivers and reconnaissance receiver systems (including remote controlled systems) and systems to intercept and locate hostile LPI emitters.

Attendees will receive a 300 page course syllabus with copies of all visual aids and work sheets for in-class problems. They will also receive the hard cover text book, Practical Communication Theory by the instructor; a 40 page EW Pocket Guide, and a special antenna and propagation slide rule.

• EW/ELINT receiver techniques and technologies
• Digital receiver and Signal Processing Techniques
• Receiver sensitivity and dynamic range calculations
• Emitter location techniques
• Operational evaluation of various types of receivers
• Effective Range calculation, in both blue water and over land situations

1. dB math; For Radar and Electronic Warfare
2. Basic link equation
3. Over Water Propagation
4. Selection and calculation of appropriate propagation model: Line of sight loss, 2 ray loss, knife edge diffraction and over water propagation
5. Digital Communication; Frequency hopping and other LPI threats;
6. Receiver types (crystal video, IFM, super-hetetrodyne, compressive, channelized and digital), Receiver sensitivity calculation, Receiver dynamic range calculation; Radar Warning & ISR Receiver system design (including signal processing, man machine interface, trends and challenges,
7. Multiple receiver reconnaissance system design,
8. Emitter location system approaches,
9. Remote controlled systems,
10. Design of systems for intercept and location of LPI threats.
11. Airborne receiving systems examples
12. Surface and submarine receiving systems (at the system block diagram and operational level.

David Adamy has spent 50 years as a systems engineer and technical manager in the EW field, designing and delivering systems from DC to light, mounted on platforms from submarines to space. He is an acknowledged expert in EW receiver system design. He is currently providing consulting support to the development and presentation of counter IED techniques and operator courses. He has published over 240 technical articles related to EW and receiver system design, including the popular EW101 column in the Journal of Electronic Defense, and has 15 books in print. He teaches EW related courses for Military, Government and Industry organizations in the US and in allied countries.