Babcock International, a UK-based company, has announced a collaboration with Turkey’s Aselsan to explore innovative solutions that will support the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) future electronic warfare training needs. This strategic agreement centers around the development of a potential Surface Electronic Warfare Threat training system, which falls under the RAF’s ambitious Next Generation Operational Training program.
This program aims to transform the training methodology for UK aircrew, specifically focusing on how they prepare for contested air environments. By incorporating advanced simulations, the RAF seeks to expose its personnel to complex air defense threats without solely relying on traditional live exercises. This initiative underscores the UK’s commitment to enhancing training in response to the evolving capabilities of potential adversaries, which are increasingly deploying sophisticated air defense and electronic warfare systems.
The collaboration between Babcock and Aselsan will involve assessing the feasibility of jointly developing a system that can accurately replicate modern Integrated Air Defence Systems. This includes simulating various threats, such as radar and surface-to-air missiles. The goal is to provide pilots and mission crews with the opportunity to hone their skills against realistic electronic warfare scenarios that feature scalable and reconfigurable threat simulations.
Babcock brings extensive experience in delivering military training and operational support to UK forces, while Aselsan contributes its specialized knowledge in electronic warfare systems. This partnership leverages the strengths of both companies to enhance the capabilities available to RAF personnel.
However, details regarding the timeline for the project’s development, funding structures, or specific configurations of the proposed system have not yet been disclosed. Furthermore, any advancements or new capabilities resulting from this collaboration will need to align with the requirements and approvals of the UK Ministry of Defence.
