The role of FSRTC EW EESR of RF MOD in dealing with electronic protection problems.

Electronic protection (EP) of military electronic assets (EA) is a problem that has been intensively studied since the mid-1950s. Initially the relevant investigations were concentrated in research organizations of the Armed Forces services and in the industry, which dealt with tasks involved in protecting new models of electronic armament from the potential adversary's intentional jamming. Following the formation of the 21st RTC of MOD (since 1989, the 5th CRTI of MOD, and currently FSTC EW EESR of MOD), it was charged with validating the descriptive models of the potential adversary's electronic countermeasures to domestic EA of different designation. Its other tasks were to provide methodological and hardware support for jamming immunity tests on EA models being developed by all AF services, to carry out expert evaluation of jamming protection of crucial electronic armament models in the course of their sketch and technical designing, and to coordinate research organizations of AF services and the industry pursuing investigations in this area.

To test the developed EA models for jamming immunity, the 21st RTC of MOD organized a radio engineering testing range and a test air squadron. Tests were also held at the testing ranges of AF services. The tests resulted in over a hundred of developed EA models of different AF services being adopted in the subsequent period. This work produced considerable results where R & D on combined simulators using physical and computing (mathematical) experiment methods was concerned.

The expert evaluation of jamming protection of crucial electronic armament models was performed via theoretical and experimental investigations into how various types of intentional jamming impact on receiving and analyzing devices of EA. The effort also involved computerized mathematical modeling of EA and electronic systems functioning in relevant combat episodes with account taken of the dynamics of shifts in the jamming situation. The most important EA and systems whose jamming immunity the 21st RTC of MOD helped to evaluate were early warning radars of different AF services; EA of spacecraft control systems, radio lines transmitting phototelevision, navigational, telemetric and specialized information from spacecraft; radar identification radio transmitting lines; command radio transmitting lines of SAM systems; radio transmitting lines of long-range vectoring of fighter aircraft of the air defenses, the air force, and the navy; radio transmitting lines of combat command and control of strategic facilities; mobile land and satellite radio communications systems.

Apart from results of quantitative evaluation of jamming protection of the crucial EA models of different AF services, the said investigations also included the drafting of recommendations on new organizational and technical methods (measures) to increase jamming protection of developed EA models.

The growing number of electronic assets and systems being handed down to troops (forces) aggravated the problem of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of EA. In this connection, the USSR Government ordered, in the late 1960s, to step up work on this problem, with the 21st RTC of MOD being appointed the Defense Ministry's chief research organization entrusted with securing EMC of EA used by the different AF services.

At the initial stage the 21st RTC of MOD focused its investigations into the EMC of EA problem on the following main lines: developing methods to analyze the physical reasons and regularities behind the emergence of unintentional jamming and EA susceptibility thereto, normalizing (standardizing) those characteristics, determining norms of frequency and territorial separation of EA in duel situations, developing type models of electronic situation and methods to evaluate EMC of EA in force groupings, and creating a unified system to collect and use information needed in dealing with EMC problems.

The early 1970s saw R & D on unified methods to measure EA EMC characteristics and on requirements to specialized hardware measuring undesirable radiation of radio transmitters and receivers' susceptibility to jamming. Close cooperation with 32nd CRTI of MOD and the industrial research organization resulted in new measuring systems as well as a number of spectrum analyzers, measuring generators and receivers. Large-scale EMC measurements were held of EA of all AF services and combat arms, whose results served as the basis for a database on EA EMC characteristics. Later there was a logical sequel to these investigations, in the shape of joint work with research organizations of all AF services and industry within the framework of three programs of comprehensive standardization in the area of EMC of military EA. The work resulted in a system of technical standards documents that included more than 70 military standards and guideline documents regulating information, organizational, methodological, normative and metrological support for the Defense Ministry's unified technical policy in the area of EA EMC.

Since the late 1970s, the Defense Ministry started comprehensive investigations into how to increase jamming protection and secure EA EMC within the framework of a more general problem, to wit, electronic protection (EP). The 21st RTC of MOD was assigned the chief role within the Defense Ministry in coordinating investigations into electronic protection of EMC in force groupings and into how to forecast the jamming situation for EMC in inter-service groupings of troops (forces). It was also supposed to develop methods of securing electromagnetic compatibility of EA in state and military governance systems. There was a considerable emphasis on the operational-tactical aspects of protecting EA from intentional and unintentional jamming. The investigations primarily focused on operational EA, while their results were used by staffs at different levels.

There was also research held with the purpose of finalizing the system of standards documents due to secure jamming protection and electromagnetic compatibility of military EA both at designing stage and in process of operation. Drawn up and approved at the appropriate level were "General Requirements Relative to EMC, Jamming Protection and Secrecy" within the system of the Defense Ministry's general technical requirements to weapons and military equipment, "Instruction on Securing EP of EA in the Armed Forces," "Methodological Aid on Securing EMC of EA in Force Groupings" for staffs of military districts and fleets, "Regulations on a Unified System of Collection and Utilization of Information Necessary for Dealing with Tasks of EMC of AE of All Designations," "Regulations on the Procedure for Securing EMC of EA of the Systems of State and Military Governance," and "Regulations on the Procedure for Introducing Temporary Bans on EA Operation during the Holding of Governmental and Other Crucial Undertakings."

Some important practical results were yielded by R & D on norms of frequency and territorial separation (FTS) of military EA that was pursued since the mid-1970s. An automated methodology was created that made it possible to release A Catalogue of Norms of Frequency and Territorial Separation for the main types of military EA and the typical conditions of their employment. Subsequently this methodology was developed as account was taken of the real conditions of EA functioning in concrete situations (adaptive norms of FTS), as well as during the development of FTS norms between military and civilian EA. Currently the inter-agency and inter-service catalogues of EA FTS norms are specified and get republished once every four or five years.

Developing organizational and technical methods to secure the joint work of EA with domestically produced electronic suppression (ES) assets looms large in the Institute's investigations into the EMC problem. Those investigations advanced successfully in view of their continuity with the previous work to estimate EA protection from intentional jamming.

Investigations into jamming resistance of EA went on as well. The above list of perused EA models took on new types of EA of precision weapon systems. Generalization of a large amount of methodological materials yielded by the investigations into this area made it possible to publish, in 1986, the "Methodological Aid on Evaluation of Protection of the Main Classes of EA from Jamming," which was addressed to a large circle of specialists at research organizations of the Defense Ministry and the industry. For the first time the aid offered a systematized exposition of a methodology for dealing with the typical problems involved in the evaluation of protection of different classes of EA from intentional and unintentional jamming. These results as well as results of experimental investigations by research organizations of the AF services were put at the base of the "Table of Signal/Noise Protective Ratios for the Main Classes of Military EA." Some other publications were "Identification of Reciprocal Jamming and Measures to Fight It," and "Handbook on Signal/Noise Protective Ratios for the Main Classes of EA Controlling Forces and Weapons." The handbook helped to solve the problem of comparability of requirements to frequency and territorial separation of EA in FTS norms used by radio frequency bodies of different AF services (combat arms) to secure EMC of EA.

Alongside R & D on methods to secure EMC of EA in duel situations, there was a probe into how to secure EMC of EA in force groupings. For a solution, it was primarily required that databases be developed for standard and concrete variants of electronic situation in territorial areas. Despite considerable organizational difficulties involved in data acquisition, descriptive models of electronic situation for standard conditions under which electronic assets were used in the national territory were drawn up by the early 1990s.

In 1977, the 21st RTC of MOD launched investigations, within the framework of efforts concerned with EMC of EA, into technical and organizational techniques of increased efficiency of the radio frequency spectrum (RFS) of military EA. Its validation of promising technical ways to increase efficiency of the RFS resulted in recommendations being drawn on using the principle of collective utilization of frequencies of different classes of EA, adaptive methods of jamming protection of radars, principles of spatial distribution of radiation, and multi-parameter modulation. The organizational ways were validated in order to improve the methodological and information support for prospective, current and operational planning of frequency use and to introduce the methods into the practice of the Defense Ministry's radio frequency bodies.

An important line in the investigations was also providing methodological and information support for efforts to deal with problems of international legal protection of frequency allocations for military EA. The Institute's specialists took part in investigative commissions, international conciliation meetings and conferences. This kind of cooperation resulted in old guideline documents on EMC of state and military governance EA being recast and new ones put into effect.

The 1990s were marked by a speedy conversion to the use of computer hardware and new information technologies for EP of military EA, something that became the daily routine for EW bodies. Automated catalogues with FTS norms were drawn up and put into practice, as were EP information and computing systems for the Electronic Warfare Directorate of the General Staff (EWD GS) and electronic warfare services in military districts. A local computer network was deployed for the EWD GS, which included an automated information and computing system (AICS) intended to control the use of FS, help extend international legal protection of frequency allocations for EA, and provide EMC for the latter. Automated workstations were also developed, complete with the necessary information and methodological software. It is planned to use some AICS elements in the state ACS FS, now in the process of development. EW services of military district staffs are developing automated databases on the electronic situation plus the attendant catalogues of FTS norms and standard computing problems relative to EMC EA. Methods are being elaborated of EP of EA in line with shifts in combat operations, including with account taken of the possibility of frequencies being used jointly by EP and EA systems of different designation.

At the turn of the 21st century, the Institute for the first time launched work to evaluate the state of utilization (workload) of frequency spectrum in the territory of a number of military districts. The same years saw investigations into how to develop conceptual and normative legal instruments aimed at improving the control over the utilization of the frequency spectrum in the Armed Forces and the country. The studies were also directed at solving practical problems related to FS conversion, something of importance for nationwide advances in new telecommunications systems. The investigations resulted in the drafting and approval by Russia's State Commission for Radio Frequencies of the "Concept to Manage the Utilization of the Radio Frequency Spectrum of the Russian Federation till the Year 2010."

To increase efficiency of FS utilization and help implement the unified technical policy in the area of EMC of EA, the Institute drew up a program for the years 2001-2005, which envisaged development of 14 new and revision of 11 effective guideline documents, as well as their harmonization with foreign and international standards. By the present time, recommendations have been suggested on methods of identifying characteristics of the electromagnetic situation in EA groupings in order to prescribe technical requirements in respect of EMC. Two standards have been revised, dealing with methods of measurement of EMC characteristics of receivers and transmitters in the electromagnetic field. Investigations are in progress to validate technical methods of joint operation of different EA with new types of signals in common wavebands.

To enhance efficiency of investigations, the Center has deployed and commissioned a local computer network capable of a full technological cycle securing EMC of state and military governance EA, starting from databases on specifications and performance characteristics of military and civilian EA and calculation of their FTS norms to concrete recommendations on excluding the impact of unintentional jamming and on frequency planning.

The network's information and methodological support is based on the Center-developed software complex designed to deal with EMC EA problems. The complex ensures the following: data recording on conditions of EA operation, complete with a possibility of projecting the electronic situation on a digital cartographic background; electronic data exchanges on the electronic situation (data export and import in a unified format) between radio frequency bodies to realize the electronic technology acquiring and handling information on conditions of operation of EA of different designation and different agency affiliation; calculation of norms of frequency territorial separation of electronic assets in military and state governance systems, as well as formation on this basis of automated catalogues of FTS norms; adaptation (adjustment) of FTS norms in application to concrete conditions of joint functioning of EA; evaluation of the electromagnetic situation in territorial areas, its projection to the cartographic background in the shape of spatial and frequency panoramas of jamming levels distribution; evaluation of the state of EMC of EA; identification of frequency-spatial conditions of EMC EA with account taken of impacts brought to bear by terrain relief and the orientation of spatial direction diagrams of EA antennas; drafting of decisions on securing EMC of military and state governance EA to be included in the main planning documents (including the central and regional EMC plans, etc.). using this complex as part of the local computer network makes it possible to boost the promptness with which EMC EA problems are handled by military and state governance systems by over an order of magnitude.

Where EP coordination and EMC of EA are concerned, the Center is currently focused on the following key tasks: specifying measures and methods of EMC of military EA with account taken of the new military doctrine; improving operation of the MOD's radio frequency bodies as they control RFS, this on the basis of its automation and introduction of promising frequency planning methods, including specialized data of instrumental radio control; scientific validation of ways of converting RFS while preserving the defense and national security priorities; defense of the RF Armed Forces' interests at the international level.

The changed conditions of the organization of electronic protection of EA require that investigations in this area climb to a new level and include military research directed at transforming the complex of EP measures into a specialized objective for the troops that are supposed to resist the enemy in a specialized operation designed to disorganize command and control; at improving the technical policy during R & D on electronic weapons capable of functioning with a required quality in modern conditions of EW; at improving the procedures and methods of RFS control to create conditions for EP of EA given the continuous complication of the electronic situation in areas where they are employed or are likely to be deployed; at improving coordination procedures between the RF MOD's radio frequency bodies and their counterparts at other ministries and agencies as they use the RFS.

The guarantee that the Center will successfully cope with all these tasks is its having schools of highly skilled specialists in the above lines of research, schools created in different periods by the doctors of sciences A.L. Gutman, N.M. Tsarkov, V.I. Vladimirov, V.V. Solovyov and other leading scientists. Even though, for objective reasons, the number of skilled specialists has lately declined, the schools are still in place and go on developing, something that enables investigations at a sufficiently high scientific level.

Capt. 1st Rank A.D. SOROKIN

Deputy Chief, FSRTC EW EESR of RF MOD

Candidate of Technical Sciences

Col. V.N. SERGEYEV

Directorate Chief, FSRTC EW EESR of RF MOD

Candidate of Technical Sciences