A key goal of DARPA’s Behavioral Learning for Adaptive Electronic Warfare (BLADE) program reports GCN is to develop a tactical level system able to detect, analyse and counter wireless transmissions in real time. One of the challenges with traditional electronic warfare is that enemy waveforms must first be recorded, then taken back to a lab for analysis.

BLADE is to give this capability to troops allowing them to quickly analyse and counter a variety of threats, such as enemy communications, or to block wireless signals used to trigger improvised explosive devices.

DARPA also wants to provide electronic warfare specialists with the option to simply passively record and analyse an adversary’s field transmissions.

BLADE’s algorithms will apply adaptive learning that will allow a radio or device loaded with the software to automatically analyse its local radio environment and modify its transmissions to maintain connectivity for communications purposes or to overcome enemy counter-jamming efforts.

Specifically, DARPA wants a system able to quickly detect and characterise threat transmissions, automatically synthesise waveforms optimized to jam the detected signals, and analyse its own effectiveness against these signals in the field.

BLADE software will be written using open standards, permitting new modules and modifications to be quickly added as needed. In its project solicitation, DARPA notes that while the development of new hardware is out of the BLADE program’s purview, the agency intends the algorithms to be integrated into existing electronic warfare equipment.

DARPA recently awarded the development contract to BAE Systems National Security Solutions in Burlington, Mass. BAE’s system should operate as a single node or a multi-node network, with performance improving as other devices join the network.

The program has three phases: development of the system and algorithms, demonstration that the system  operates in real time, and a networked prototype system. The work is scheduled to be complete during 2012.