DARPA refine EW tactics with an RF battlespace emulator
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed what it claims to be the largest high-fidelity, real-time, virtual radio frequency (RF) test range according to an announcement on 12 August 2025.
Known as the Digital RF Battlespace Emulator (DRBE), the armed services will use the system to emulate electronic warfare (EW) scenarios.
Operations in the electromagnetic (EM) environment are increasing. The spectrum comprises the distribution of electromagnetic energy – including RF – that is transmitted across a full spectrum of frequencies, within a geographic area.
The DRBE system delivers throughput with ultra-low latency, a critical requirement for simulating complex RF engagements with the timing precision needed for modern EW tactics.
Unlike conventional modeling, simulation, and open-air testing approaches, the DRBE system allows for the complex interaction of synthetic RF entities simultaneously, all within a software-defined environment. This offers a new tool for testing and training with AI-enabled EW capabilities and accelerating the development of next-generation RF systems.
The first DRBE system will transition to a US Navy laboratory in late 2025, where it will be integrated into the Department of Defense’s testing and evaluation infrastructure.
“Not only are companies coming out with new hardware constantly, but as much of the ‘fighting’ is software-side, changes in this regard can be made even faster,” observed James Marques, GlobalData defence analyst.
“Presumably, [the DRBE system] will require a lot of computer processing power,” he added. “The ability to replicate complex electronic environments in that way will probably have big implications for defence technology development going forward across the board wherever software is concerned.”
Spectrum supremacy
The evolution of digitised battlefield technologies such as tactical communications, command-and-control networks, and uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) has created new challenges and opportunities for EW technology, with the development of novel applications like EW-based Counter-UAS systems.
Such systems include the British Army’s RF-directed energy weapon. This C-UAS capability, which at an estimated cost of ten pence, or 13 cents, per shot fired, offers a cost-effective, non-kinetic effect against UAS at a range of one kilometre, complementing traditional missile-based air defence.
Meanwhile, Russian EW operations against Ukraine have incited significant consternation among Western military officials as the comparative lack of investment and innovation has enabled the Russian state to gain a strategic advantage over its geopolitical rivals.
Another GlobalData defence analyst, Jonathon Birch, identified Ukraine’s inability to counter Russian fibre optic first-person view drones (which operate outside the EM spectrum). This solution “was seminal in their forced withdrawal from the Kursk region of Russia” several months ago.
Similarly, Birch added that there are reports emerging of China’s new ‘Storm Eye’ system. Utilising a pair of drones operating with corresponding jamming and counter signalling frequencies to produce a neutralised area of electronic activity, Storm Eye protects assets from enemy jamming.
“This timely example illustrates the importance of DARPA’s emulator in replicating the ever-increasing complexity of the EW battlespace,” he emphasised. “With growing geopolitical tension and an emphasis on military supremacy, EW refinement will remain a priority.”
