Imagine a future warfare scenario where two adversaries launch jets and high-altitude drones against each other’s military targets. One side outpaces, by a few milliseconds, the other in intercepting the other’s communication channels, effectively dominating the electromagnetic spectrum by blinding the pilots, jamming the drones and paralyzing the command and control nodes.
The prevailing force secures a greater edge by generating thousands of false targets to deceive the enemy’s entire aerial fleet, while its Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEWAC) aircraft is rendered invisible from enemy detection. This spectrum supremacy could be viewed as a prelude to multi-domain supremacy – across air, land, sea, space and cyber — a trend that is reflective of recent advances in electronic warfare (EW) by China and the U.S.
In August, Chinese scientists successfully tested a new radar innovation called the frequency diverse array. China claims it can render the AEWAC almost invisible to detection. This new technique modulates frequencies to mislead enemy sensors, thereby protecting the high-value spy aircraft for a sustained EW. The research team has described it as a “new paradigm of electromagnetic offense and defense, detecting while jamming, positioning while deceiving.”
In June, China leveraged a 6G-powered EW system to amplify jamming capabilities and enhance connectivity across multiple platforms. The system also enables the simultaneous generation of false targets to disrupt the enemy’s situational awareness.
In August 2024, Chinese scientists claim to have developed an analogue-to-digital (ADC) chip that enhances radar detection and response time by 91.46 percent. Quicker detection time corresponds to a greater edge over an adversary in high-stakes and time-constrained combat environments.
The advances are echoed by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. In its 2024 report, the commission concluded that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “has developed substantial EW capabilities to detect, target and disrupt the U.S., allied, and partner forces in the Indo-Pacific.” The upcoming 2025 report may raise greater alarms, given the rapid pace of recent EW developments by China.
Advances dovetail with aggressive behavior
Importantly, these EW advances come against the backdrop of China’s growing assertive posture in the contentious zones.
In 2024, Western leaders interpreted the “freedom of navigation” passage of Chinese warships near Alaska as a message to NATO against further expansion in the Arctic region. Besides the joint naval drills with Russia, China recently deployed its two aircraft carriers east of the Philippines. Lately, the sightings of China’s carrier-based electronic warfare jets, the J-15DT – equipped with three EW pods – were also a subject of intense deliberations.
U.S has made strides
The U.S. has taken several recent actions to counter China.
For starters, it has emphasized the pre-eminence of spectrum in its Joint All-Domain Command & Control (JADC2) Strategy, stating that future warfare will be carried out in “degraded and contested” spectrum.
Additionally, the U.S. military has deployed an anti-drone electromagnetic pulse system called Leonidas that can take down incoming drones through a directed microwave pulse. It could prove effective in protecting the forward bases from a swarm attack and, in turn, facilitating the friendly drones in their offensive strikes. In view of its jamming capabilities, this directed energy weapon signals a U.S. push to disrupt enemy drone communication channels and dominate the spectrum.
In April 2024, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $ 6.4 million contract to Southwest Research Institute’s advanced electronic warfare team to develop an algorithmic EW system. It envisions artificial intelligence-enabled spectrum supremacy, imparting greater autonomy in the processing of vast information.
The U.S. military tested its advanced EW capabilities in the recent Project Convergence Capstone 5 exercise in order to enhance its operational readiness against “sophisticated adversaries,” a departure from counterterrorism operations against inferior enemies.
Still playing catch up
But despite the activity, the U.S. is playing catch-up, as the USCC 2024 report acknowledges that Chinese EW capabilities potentially are superior. And continued Chinese EW edge could alter the strategic environment of the Indo-Pacific region in Beijing’s favor.
From detection and engagement to jamming and deception, China and the U.S. aim to secure spectrum supremacy for a strong competitive edge on the battlefield. In this regard, the most recent India-Pakistan aerial clash, wherein Pakistan claimed to have downed at least five Indian jets, is a befitting example of how spectrum supremacy can result in overall aerial supremacy.
The Pakistani military attributed the combat success to spectrum supremacy, in addition to the seamless execution of a networked strike, which corresponds to the shortening of the kill chain, the sequential steps from identification to the engagement of a military target.
In the new character of warfare driven by multi-domain operations, the victor won’t be determined by firepower alone; spectrum supremacy, integrated with advanced technologies, may emerge as central to battlefield dominance.
The essential question is, will China take a decisive lead over the U.S. in commanding the spectrum in future warfare?
