The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Greywolf,” 1st Cavalry Division fielded the Army’s new Electronic Warfare Tactical Vehicle recently.
The new vehicle was developed to provide Army Electronic Warfare Teams with the ability to sense and jam enemy communications and networks from an operationally relevant range at the brigade combat team level.
“This effort will allow the ability for EW Soldiers to influence future vehicle improvements and grow their knowledge,” Lt. Col. Scott Schumacher, chief of the Rapid Equipping Force solutions team, said in a release. “This is an advanced EW technology that can provide the Army new offensive and defensive capabilities.”
The Greywolf team attended two weeks of training on the vehicle in Yuma, Arizona. The electronic warfare kit is installed on a four-wheel drive MaxxPro Dash, one of the multiple types of MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected) armored vehicles.
“It has never been used at the brigade-level, so we have to really put it through its paces and see what its capabilities and limitations are,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alexander Torres, the brigade’s electronic warfare technician. “We have to develop best-practices and TTPs (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures) that will help future units as well as continue the development of a dedicated EW platform.”
Since the inception of EW at the BCT-level there hasn’t been the capability for electronic jamming. The system is highly programmable, which allows the EW team to develop a program targeting the frequencies the enemy is attacking the BCT with.
“This is a huge benefit because now we have it on our time instead of relying on our sister services to provide us with jamming capabilities and hoping it is available when we need it,” Torres said.
The EWTV was developed as part of the Army’s Rapid Equipment Fielding, which identifies gaps that need to be filled that cannot wait on the traditional contracting route. This is just the first step in building a platform that will benefit the BCT.
“We had nothing and now we have something, and I hope we continue to keep building on it,” Torres said. “We need to make sure it is effective. If we go out there and just let it sit and collect dust and don’t use it and make sure that it also enables the commander to maneuver his forces and gain the advantage in the electronic spectrum, then really it is wasting a valuable resource.”
Greywolf will integrate the EWTV during its upcoming brigade evaluation.
