The Farnborough International Airshow 2026 has become a showcase for the future of warfare, with Boeing unveiling the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, an advanced AI-powered collaborative combat aircraft designed to fly alongside manned fighter jets. The aircraft represents a major leap in autonomous military aviation, surveillance, electronic warfare, and combat operations. The event also highlighted growing cooperation between American defense companies and European missile manufacturers, including the display of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat alongside the MBDA Meteor missile, signaling deeper defense collaboration amid rising global security threats.

Farnborough Airshow 2026: Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals future of Modern Air Combat

The B-52 Stratofortress carries a crew of five: an aircraft commander, a co-pilot, a navigator, a radar navigator, and an electronic warfare officer. The first four have roles that are immediately understandable — flying the aircraft, navigating to the target, and managing weapons delivery. The fifth crew member, the Electronic Warfare Officer, or EWO, does something altogether different. The EWO fights a war that is invisible to the naked eye, waged entirely in the electromagnetic spectrum.&nbsp;What The EWO Actually Does&nbsp;The EWO's station is on the upper flight deck of the B-52, surrounded by displays and control panels connected to the aircraft's suite of electronic warfare systems. The EWO's primary job is to monitor the electromagnetic environment around the aircraft — detecting, identifying, and prioritising every radar signal, missile guidance beam, and electronic emission that could represent a threat. When a surface-to-air missile system locks onto the B-52, the EWO is the crew member who sees it first — not as a visual object, but as an electronic signal on a screen. When enemy fighters activate their targeting radars, the EWO identifies the type, direction, and urgency of the threat and advises the pilots on how to respond.&nbsp;Jamming, Chaff, And Flares&nbsp;The B-52H carries a complex suite of active and passive electronic countermeasures under the EWO's control. Active jamming systems — including the AN/ALQ-155 Power Management System, AN/ALQ-117, and AN/ALQ-172 — transmit electronic signals designed to confuse, overwhelm, or deceive enemy radars, making it harder for missiles and fire-control systems to track the bomber accurately. For passive defence, the EWO commands the AN/ALE-24 chaff dispensing system, which releases clouds of metallic strips that reflect radar waves and create false targets, and the AN/ALE-20 flare system, which deploys heat-emitting decoys to draw infrared-guided missiles away from the aircraft's engines.&nbsp;Steering Through The Electromagnetic Spectrum&nbsp;Veteran EWOs have described their role as steering the aircraft through the hostile electromagnetic spectrum. While the pilots physically fly the bomber through airspace, the EWO is simultaneously navigating through an invisible landscape of radar beams, missile guidance frequencies, and communications signals — deciding which threats to jam, which to evade, and which to prioritise in real time. During Operation Linebacker II over Hanoi in December 1972, EWOs aboard B-52s were operating their countermeasures against one of the densest surface-to-air missile environments in history, with approximately 1,240 SAMs fired at the bomber formations over 11 nights. The effectiveness of the EWOs' work was a significant factor in the overall loss rate remaining below two per cent.&nbsp;A Role That Has Only Grown More Important&nbsp;In the decades since Vietnam, the electromagnetic battlespace has become dramatically more complex. Modern integrated air defence systems operate across multiple frequency bands, use advanced electronic counter-countermeasures to defeat jamming, and can network multiple radar sites to track targets collaboratively. The B-52J upgrade programme includes significant modernisation of the aircraft's electronic warfare systems — equipping the EWO with newer, more capable tools to operate in this environment. The EWO remains the only crew member on the B-52 whose entire job is defence — not flying, not navigating, not attacking, but keeping the aircraft and its crew alive against threats they cannot see with their eyes.

The B-52's Electronic Warfare Officer fights in the electromagnetic spectrum — jamming radars, deploying chaff and flares, steering the bomber through invisible threats.

The B-52 Stratofortress carries a crew of five: an aircraft commander, a co-pilot, a navigator, a radar navigator, and an electronic warfare officer. The first four have roles that are immediately understandable — flying the aircraft, navigating to the target, and managing weapons delivery. The fifth crew member, the Electronic Warfare Officer, or EWO, does something altogether different. The EWO fights a war that is invisible to the naked eye, waged entirely in the electromagnetic spectrum. What The EWO Actually Does The EWO's station is on the upper flight deck of the B-52, surrounded by displays and control panels connected to the aircraft's suite of electronic warfare systems. The EWO's primary job is to monitor the electromagnetic environment around the aircraft — detecting, identifying, and prioritising every radar signal, missile guidance beam, and electronic emission that could represent a threat. When a surface-to-air missile system locks onto the B-52, the EWO is the crew member who sees it first — not as a visual object, but as an electronic signal on a screen. When enemy fighters activate their targeting radars, the EWO identifies the type, direction, and urgency of the threat and advises the pilots on how to respond. Jamming, Chaff, And Flares The B-52H carries a complex suite of active and passive electronic countermeasures under the EWO's control. Active jamming systems — including the AN/ALQ-155 Power Management System, AN/ALQ-117, and AN/ALQ-172 — transmit electronic signals designed to confuse, overwhelm, or deceive enemy radars, making it harder for missiles and fire-control systems to track the bomber accurately. For passive defence, the EWO commands the AN/ALE-24 chaff dispensing system, which releases clouds of metallic strips that reflect radar waves and create false targets, and the AN/ALE-20 flare system, which deploys heat-emitting decoys to draw infrared-guided missiles away from the aircraft's engines. Steering Through The Electromagnetic Spectrum Veteran EWOs have described their role as steering the aircraft through the hostile electromagnetic spectrum. While the pilots physically fly the bomber through airspace, the EWO is simultaneously navigating through an invisible landscape of radar beams, missile guidance frequencies, and communications signals — deciding which threats to jam, which to evade, and which to prioritise in real time. During Operation Linebacker II over Hanoi in December 1972, EWOs aboard B-52s were operating their countermeasures against one of the densest surface-to-air missile environments in history, with approximately 1,240 SAMs fired at the bomber formations over 11 nights. The effectiveness of the EWOs' work was a significant factor in the overall loss rate remaining below two per cent. A Role That Has Only Grown More Important In the decades since Vietnam, the electromagnetic battlespace has become dramatically more complex. Modern integrated air defence systems operate across multiple frequency bands, use advanced electronic counter-countermeasures to defeat jamming, and can network multiple radar sites to track targets collaboratively. The B-52J upgrade programme includes significant modernisation of the aircraft's electronic warfare systems — equipping the EWO with newer, more capable tools to operate in this environment. The EWO remains the only crew member on the B-52 whose entire job is defence — not flying, not navigating, not attacking, but keeping the aircraft and its crew alive against threats they cannot see with their eyes.

One of the B-52's five crew members never drops a bomb, never fires a weapon, and never touches the flight controls.&nbsp;

The B-52 carries a crew member whose only job is to fight an invisible war

Missiles make the headlines, but invisible data wins the war. Inside the EA-18G Growlers of the USS Abraham Lincoln, where electronic warfare blinds enemy defenses before a single shot is fired.

Missiles make the headlines, but invisible data wins the war. Inside the EA-18G Growlers of the USS Abraham Lincoln, where electronic warfare blinds enemy defenses before a single shot is fired.

'A war you can't even see': How USS Abraham Lincoln's electronic warfare jets fight?

French fighter jets like the $115M Dassault Rafale dominate global combat. Armed with Mach 4 Meteor missiles, heavy 9,500kg payloads, and the advanced SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, these omnirole aircraft offer unmatched aerial lethality.


French fighter jets like the $115M Dassault Rafale dominate global combat. Armed with Mach 4 Meteor missiles, heavy 9,500kg payloads, and the advanced SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, these omnirole aircraft offer unmatched aerial lethality.

‘The omnirole assassin’: Why French fighter jets are considered among the most lethal in the world

The US military uses Cognitive Electronic Warfare to blind Iranian radars. Mounted on EA-18G Growlers, the AI-powered Next Generation Jammer analyses hostile signals in milliseconds and instantly transmits tailored noise to protect strike aircraft.

The US military uses Cognitive Electronic Warfare to blind Iranian radars. Mounted on EA-18G Growlers, the AI-powered Next Generation Jammer analyses hostile signals in milliseconds and instantly transmits tailored noise to protect strike aircraft.

How is the US using AI-integrated weapons to blind Iranian radars?

The USS Abraham Lincoln carries advanced electronic warfare aircraft like the EA-18G Growler. These jets use jamming and deception to blind Iranian radars and sever communication links. 

The USS Abraham Lincoln carries advanced electronic warfare aircraft like the EA-18G Growler. These jets use jamming and deception to blind Iranian radars and sever communication links.&nbsp;

Signal suppression possible? How the USS Abraham Lincoln could blind Iranian air defences before missiles are launched

Electronic warfare systems significantly reduce air-to-air missile effectiveness through jamming, chaff, and flares. Modern fighters use sophisticated countermeasures to confuse radar and heat-seeking missiles.

Electronic warfare systems significantly reduce air-to-air missile effectiveness through jamming, chaff, and flares. Modern fighters use sophisticated countermeasures to confuse radar and heat-seeking missiles.

'Electronic warfare': How it can limit the effectiveness of air-to-air missiles

Anduril’s Fury drone is built to survive GPS jamming by using AI navigation, inertial sensors, and visual mapping instead of relying on satellite signals. Even in heavy electronic warfare, it can fly, track targets, and complete missions on its own.

Anduril’s Fury drone is built to survive GPS jamming by using AI navigation, inertial sensors, and visual mapping instead of relying on satellite signals. Even in heavy electronic warfare, it can fly, track targets, and complete missions on its own.

This drone is designed to survive GPS jamming

India’s Su-30MKI uses Israeli jammers to boost its electronic warfare. These pods jam enemy radar, shield jets and improve mission safety. 

India’s Su-30MKI uses Israeli jammers to boost its electronic warfare. These pods jam enemy radar, shield jets and improve mission safety.&nbsp;

Su-30MKI armed with Israeli jammers: Can it make the fighter jets masters of electronic warfare?

The People’s Liberation Army’s electronic warfare unit has produced a list of targets for a coordinated attack against US aircraft carrier strike groups. Watch this report for more details!

Chinese Military Unveils Electronic Warfare Kill List

electronic-warfare

Electronic Warfare, News on Electronic Warfare, stories on Electronic Warfare, articles on Electronic Warfare, Electronic Warfare stories at Wion, Electronic Warfare news, Electronic Warfare latest news

electronic warfare

Farnborough Airshow 2026: Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat signals future of Modern Air Combat

The B-52's secret weapon: the Electronic Warfare Officer

'A war you can't see': How USS Abraham Lincoln's electronic warfare jets fight?

Why French fighter jets are considered among the most lethal in the world

How is the US using AI-integrated weapons to blind Iranian radars?

How the USS Abraham Lincoln’s electronic shield could blind Iranian air defences

'Electronic warfare': How it can limit the effectiveness of air-to-air missiles

This drone is designed to survive GPS jamming

Su-30MKI armed with Israeli jammers: Can it become master of electronic warfare?

Chinese Military Unveils Electronic Warfare Kill List

Chinese Military Unveils Electronic Warfare Kill List