In May 2023, BAE Systems supported the US Air Force F-15 Combined Test Force (CTF) at Northern Edge 2023 (NE23), a large-scale military exercise in Alaska, focused on training and funded by the US Indo-Pacific Command.

According to the company’s announcement, thousands of Branch officials, more than 150 aircraft, and many international partners participated in the exercise. Participants trained and explored new tactics and capabilities for operations in highly contested battlefields due to hostile presence.

During NE23, Electronic Warfare (EW) specialists from BAE Systems experimented with new capabilities of the state-of-the-art EPAWSS system (Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System) for F-15E and F-15EX fighter aircraft.

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In close cooperation with the US Air Force and Boeing, the BAE Systems team supported more than 70 EPAWSS sorties, completed more than 15 test targets, and demonstrated EPAWSS’ potential to address advanced, complex electromagnetic threats in an operational testing environment.

The cognitive EW capabilities of EPAWSS, including the strong capability to track, identify, analyze, and jam unknown threats, were key areas of interest during NE23.

The team’s efforts focused on continuous improvement, rapid creation of repeated Mission Data Files (MDF), and speeding up the capability of EPAWSS to affect missions.

BAE Systems updated the EPAWSS mission software during the exercise, demonstrating agile reprogramming skills software. MDF and software updates have greatly improved the air-to-air jamming performance, helping the US and its allies to upgrade their tactics so as to dominate Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO).

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