Jerry Petersen 
- BAE Systems has launched the Shadow EW family of electronic warfare products
- Shadow EW products are designed to be incorporated into small airborne platforms
- They will work to address various Department of War EW requirements
BAE Systems has launched a new family of low size, weight and power electronic warfare products meant for integration into small airborne platforms. BAE said Tuesday that the product line, dubbed Shadow EW, will be designed at company facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire, where the accompanying software will be developed as well.
Production of Shadow EW will be carried out at BAE’s complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
What Are Shadow EW’s Features?
Shadow EW will be developed around open architecture standards and feature commercial electronics and field upgradeable, software defined capabilities. The product line will work to support various Department of War EW requirements, including situational awareness, deception and collaborative effects delivery.
Commenting on the new product family, BAE Director for Shadow EW Products Rebecca Cruz underscored how the evolving conditions on the modern battlefield make it necessary for EW capabilities to be adaptable, a quality that she said Shadow EW possesses.
“Shadow EW solutions provide flexible, configurable hardware paired with iterative software updates to counter rapidly evolving threats,” Cruz said.
How Important Is EW for the Army?
In the face of such threats, including potential conflict with near-peer adversaries, the Department of the Army is treating EW as a priority for the coming fiscal year as demonstrated by its request for $156 million to finance the Electronic Warfare Advanced Technology, or EWAT, program in FY 2027. EWAT aims to mature and deliver a suite of EW technologies that will work to provide Army forces a decisive advantage in contested electromagnetic environments.
The Army’s latest funding request for EWAT is 81 percent higher than its request in fiscal 2026. Potentially benefiting from additional financing are several program subcomponents, including those covering novel sensor technologies, capabilities that mitigate adversary electromagnetic protection, and counter-adversary intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting.
