An MS Azimuth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detection and direction finding electronic warfare station, made by Ukrainian defence company Kvertus, pictured in Ukraine in March 2024. (Global Images Ukraine via Getty )
A Former UK Defence Attaché to Moscow has said that Russia is gaining momentum in electronic warfare (EW) capabilities and the UK needs to “invest accordingly” in the technology.
John Foreman, who served as the UK Defence Attaché to Moscow from 2019 to 2022, spoke to Janes on 10 December on the sidelines of the ‘Safeguarding Europe: how to defeat and deter Russia' conference held at The Royal Institute of International Affairs.
EW evolution
Before the start of Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow was “miles behind the West” in unmanned systems and EW capabilities, Foreman said. “When I went to arms shows in Moscow (even after the full-scale invasion in 2022) I saw a suite of EW models, which they had on display, and they wanted to sell. They also had unmanned systems, sensors, command and control.” At that time, Foreman said, the companies were looking for investment opportunities. Now he believes the situation has changed, with the Russian government heavily investing in those same technologies.
The UK has to step up and take more risks when it comes to procurement of new technologies, Foreman said. “EW went away as a priority for the UK during our time in Iraq and Afghanistan,” adding that “with the Taliban at the time, we weren't facing near-and-peer adversaries”. Now the UK is “re-learning old lessons” when it comes to the role of EW on the battlefield.
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