In recent months, several news in those points of the planet where there are tensions or directly some kind of armed conflict, they gave us the first clues. The war that was fought until very recently has given way to a very different one where the human loses importance in the first line of the contest. That’s why United Kingdom has sent the P8 Poseidon to protect your submarine cables, or In Ukraine an optical fiber is worth more than some ammunition. Now, a document has revealed to what extent the war is different.
Non -kinetic weapons. I told Business Insider a few hours ago through secret documents that have obtained from the intelligence of the United States. Apparently, during the American mission to counteract the attacks of the Hutis rebels in the Red Sea, The destroyers of the United States Navy such as the USS Mason and the USS Serly, managed to repel all drone attacks without firing Missiles or conventional ammunition.
We talk about A period that covers between November 2023 and March 2024space in which these ships used non -kinetic capabilities, technology that includes advanced electronic warfare systems to deactivate enemy drones through electromagnetic interference and cyber attacks, instead of traditional defense methods.
The electronic war revolution. The documents obtained by the medium reveal that these ships used advanced technologies such as the AN/SLQ-32 (“slick-32”) and the so -called Ship’s Signal Exploitation Equipment (SSEE)both designed to detect, interfere and neutralize the signs of enemy drones and missiles.
These systems allow interrupt communications and guidance mechanisms of drones, leaving them inoperative without the need to physically destroy them. This technique, although it is part of the naval doctrine for years, had never been used with the intensity that is currently made against drone swarms in a real conflict. In fact, something similar in Ukraine is happening, The “mother of all battles between drones”.
Strategic benefits in non -kinetic weapons. The use of electronic war for naval defense represents a crucial advance, in this specific case for the United States Navy, in front of attacks such as those perpetrated by the hutis, who They have launched about 500 drones against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Adén since October 2023.
Here The key advantages of these systems are several. From the savings of ammunition, since, instead of spending expensive missiles in each enemy drone, non -kinetic weapons offer a cheaper and more efficient alternative, until sustainability in combat, since by avoiding the exhaustion of the arsenal, ships can stay in the theater of operations without the need for frequent refueling. Plus: greater tactical adaptabilitysince the electronic war allows to counteract threats in real time, without revealing the location of the ship with shots or generating traces of heat.
A change in the naval strategy. If you want also, the success of these systems in the Red Sea conflict marks a turning point in the Maritime War doctrine. In this regard, experts such as Bryan Clark, ex -official of the Navy and defense analyst at the Hudson Institute, highlight that this is The first time that the United States faces a massive use of aerial drones in anti -ribous attackswhich has forced the Navy to develop more sophisticated tactics.
The experience obtained in these clashes not only strengthens the defensive capacity of US ships, but also provides key lessons for future conflicts, in which electronic war and non -kinetic weapons could play a predominant role. Exactly the same that happens in Ukraine where The battle has moved to another completely different level to other conflicts.
A fact before finishing to understand the importance of this new paradigm shift: last year and in just two days, 1,600 aircraft in Europe had problems with GPS. He guilty: Electronic War.
Image | US Navy
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