Leonardo and the Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) recently executed a groundbreaking live trial featuring a large-scale electronic attack utilizing a drone swarm.
This demonstration showcased numerous compact, remotely-operated drones outfitted with Leonardo’s advanced electronic warfare jamming technology. Their purpose was to confuse and overwhelm trial radars that simulated enemy air defense systems.
In this event, several Callen Lenz drones were enhanced with a modified Leonardo BriteCloud decoy, enabling each drone to deliver a sophisticated jamming effect independently. The decoy packages were programmed to coordinate effectively, maximizing confusion across the target area.
The drones engaged with ground-based radar systems that represented enemy air defense setups. The performance was striking, as the swarm of BriteCloud-equipped drones inundated the threat radar systems with a barrage of electronic noise.
BriteCloud was originally designed as a high-tech protective decoy for combat aircraft and has been operational with the RAF since 2018, marking another significant milestone for Leonardo and the RCO. Officially categorized as an Expendable Active Decoy (EAD), each BriteCloud round can simulate the radar signature of the launching aircraft, directing enemy radar focus away from the actual aircraft.
As the only product of its kind available globally, BriteCloud is open for orders from UK allies and is currently under review by the US Armed Forces.
This live trial, part of a rapid development cycle that included collaboration between the RCO, Leonardo’s engineers, and UK SMEs Callen Lenz and Blue Bear, signifies an important progression toward achieving autonomous drone swarm capabilities.
The insights gained from this demonstration will significantly contribute to upcoming UK initiatives aimed at establishing autonomous swarming drone capabilities.
