luWES Programme Demonstrates SEAD for crisis response

Airbus, bKEC, HENSOLDT, IBM, MBDA, PLATH, Rohde & Schwarz, and Schönhofer have successfully demonstrated how military aircraft can conduct missions in contested environments using electromagnetic jamming, according to a 30 June Rohde & Schwarz press release. This live flight demonstration in Germany showcased the effectiveness of electromagnetic combat (EC) measures in a scenario designed to simulate the evacuation of citizens from a crisis area with active air defence systems as part of the German defence project “luftgestützte Wirkung im elektromagnetischen Spektrum” (Airborne Effects in the Electromagnetic Spectrum), or luWES.

The exercise featured a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft, a simulated Airbus A400M military airlifter, and a SHARCS technology demonstrator serving as an unmanned remote carrier. Representing the adversary’s capabilities was an SA-8 air defence missile system. The SA-8 Osa (NATO reporting name SA-8 Gecko, with GRAU designation 9K33) is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system developed by the Soviet Union. It integrates its own engagement radars on a single vehicle, making it an autonomous unit capable of detecting, tracking, and engaging aircraft. The system is designed to counter jet aircraft and helicopters, with later variants improving engagement range and altitude to 12 km. 

During the demonstration, the PC-12, acting as a stand-off jammer, detected and classified the SA-8 system from a safe distance. It then employed electromagnetic countermeasures to jam the SA-8, rendering it combat-ineffective. This allowed the simulated A400M to enter the crisis area undetected, land, and perform the evacuation. Concurrently, the SHARCS remote carrier, equipped with a stand-in jammer, provided support by suppressing communications, thereby delaying any potential response from enemy forces. The coordination between friendly forces, including the exchange of reconnaissance and effect data, was facilitated through a secure cloud, leveraging AI-supported data analysis, the press release states. 

The press release added that the demonstration showed how EC forces can protect friendly assets during missions. A key advantage of EC is its non-kinetic nature, operating without ammunition and thus causing no physical damage. However, Osa carries an 9Sh33 electro optical tracker that is designed to be used when its radar is jammed. It is reasonable to presume that this sight would struggle against a low-flying jet moving at speed, but a large A400M approaching a runway – as used in the scenario – or even a helicopter, would likely be within its capabilities. It stands to reason that if a European force was considering a crisis response in which a large aircraft was required to land in a contested airspace defended by systems like the SA-8, that a kinetic strike would still be required against air defence systems if they were truly a threat.

The luWES Programme

The Osa 9K33 (SA-8) air defence system was used during the luWES demonstration. It is an old system and not representative of the most capable air defence systems available. Credit: By Vitaly V. Kuzmin – http://vitalykuzmin.net/?q=node/641, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49483883

This capability is a core component of the German defence project “luftgestützte Wirkung im elektromagnetischen Spektrum” (Airborne Effects in the Electromagnetic Spectrum), or luWES. This programme aims to build robust EC capabilities for the German Armed Forces, with Airbus, bKEC, HENSOLDT, IBM, MBDA, PLATH, Rohde & Schwarz, and Schönhofer committed to developing the necessary technologies under the motto “EC made in Germany for Germany.” This initiative seeks to enable the German Air Force to deploy these capabilities with independence. Following this successful flight demonstration, the next phase involves further development of individual luWES components.

luWES is envisioned as a “system of systems,” comprising complementary and modular subsystems that provide aerial electromagnetic protection. The stand-off jammer operates from extended ranges to suppress enemy radar and communication systems before friendly forces enter their operational area, thereby enhancing effectiveness and protection. The escort jammer functions alongside manned platforms, actively protecting them in enemy territory by continuously jamming hostile radar and missile systems. The stand-in jammer, designed to penetrate directly into the enemy’s effective range, suppresses air defence systems at close quarters, thus protecting friendly weapons and increasing their assertiveness. It is likely to be a similar capability to the RAF’s StormShroud, which entered service earlier this year. 

In a related development, Saab and Helsing are collaborating to enhance German Eurofighters with advanced electronic warfare capabilities. This partnership involves integrating Saab’s Arexis sensor suite, which incorporates Helsing’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform, onto 15 German Eurofighters. This upgrade will replace the electronic warfare capabilities previously provided by Germany’s Tornado ECR aircraft. The Arexis system is designed to provide cognitive electronic warfare capabilities, enabling the analysis of radar data and the generation of precise self-protection measures against modern enemy radars in milliseconds. 

If successfully realised, this would create a suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) platform for the Bundeswehr that would also be capable of suppressing and destroying SA-8s and similar air defence systems. 

Calibre comment

Whilst this demonstration is interesting and no doubt valuable for its attempt to address the SEAD capability gap that exists throughout Europe, it is somewhat underwhelming. There are undoubtedly some details missing from the press release, but an SA-8 is not a valuable proxy for the capabilities of Russian air defences, or even the systems used by sub-peer states in the Middle East and Africa. The 9K33 Osa, as it was designated by the Soviet Union, entered service in 1972 as a short-range air defence system. They formed a good portion of the Armenian air defences and were seemingly picked apart with ease by Azeri air power in 2020. They have been used in multiple wars and claimed some successes, like shooting down a Tomahawk cruise missile and Azeri Su-25 for instance, but it is not representative of modern air defence threats and is a target that should be well known to most NATO air forces. 

Of course, you might argue, it is very difficult to find an S-400 or Tor-M2 and simulate that as a target for SEAD, but badging a single Osa, which is normally deployed in batteries of four, as a “comprehensive air defence system” is stretching the credibility of that system as a threat to western airpower. Moreover, as the A400M was simulated, it would seem to be a reasonable request to at least simulate three additional Osas, or any of the other more capable air defence systems that are widely available. Overall, it is good to see western companies working on and cooperating to address the SEAD gap and this development should be welcomed, but there is some need for considered assessment in the value that this demonstration provides. Crisis response is a fairly regular activity for a western force, as the UK’s non-combat evacuation from Sudan in 2023 shows, but it is far from the most pressing threat to European capabilities. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 2nd July, 2025. The credit for the lead image is Rhode and Schwarz, it shows the luWES logo.