Electronic Warfare Development

The Electronic Warfare Development program, outlined in Program Element (PE) 0607313A, is a key component of the Army's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) portfolio. Its primary objective is to advance operational systems for tactical ground-based Electronic Warfare (EW) and Terrestrial Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities. This program enables the Army to detect, identify, locate, collect, process, report, and engage hostile forces by disrupting, degrading, or denying their use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS). The goal is to ensure the Army maintains information superiority and operational effectiveness against evolving enemy threats, particularly in support of Multi-Domain Operations.

CE2: Prophet is the principal project within this program element, focusing on the development and enhancement of the Prophet Enhanced system. Prophet Enhanced serves as the Army's organic ground-based SIGINT/EW support system for maneuver brigades, delivering situational awareness and actionable intelligence around the clock. Objectives for Prophet include the integration of new Signals of Interest (SOI), technical insertion engineering for next-generation signals, and the adoption of advanced SIGINT exploitation techniques. These efforts are designed to ensure the system remains effective against near-peer and emerging threats, while also mitigating component obsolescence through ongoing engineering and testing.

The Program Management line item supports engineering and technical oversight for the development of next-generation signals. Funding is allocated for continued matrix and contractor system engineering support, ensuring that the Prophet program's technical direction aligns with evolving operational requirements. This management function is critical for coordinating the integration of new technologies and maintaining the system's relevance in a rapidly changing threat environment.

Signal of Interest Upgrades address the need to exploit a contested and evolving signal environment. The Prophet system must continually integrate the latest intelligence community and commercial solutions to close gaps in its ability to collect and exploit high-priority and emerging signals. Funds are dedicated to the development and integration of next-generation SIGINT capabilities into the Prophet SIGINT Software, expanding the system's signal libraries to counter key tactical threats. This ensures the system can effectively collect against near-peer adversaries and adapt to new signal types.

Component Obsolescence Engineering is another critical objective, given the highly technical nature of Prophet Enhanced. Over time, many system components become obsolete or unsupported, necessitating non-recurring engineering to incorporate and test new or replacement parts. Funding supports continued obsolescence engineering and customer testing to maintain system reliability and operational readiness. This line item ensures the longevity and sustainability of the Prophet Enhanced system by addressing hardware and software obsolescence.

The Acquisition Strategy for Prophet R&D is structured to maintain operational relevancy while reducing risk and streamlining engineering processes. Contracting activities focus on maintaining SIGINT relevance and completing annual technical insertions to pursue the latest SOIs and address obsolescence. The strategy leverages a combination of matrixed government support and competitive contract awards for systems engineering and technical assistance, as well as sole-sourced contracts for product development to ensure rapid integration and response to emerging threats.

Funding for this program element is realigned to Budget Activity 9 under Program Element 0609277A, supporting agile development initiatives such as Electronic Warfare Technology Maturation and EW SIGINT Technology Innovation Pipeline. This transition reflects the Army's commitment to portfolio management and agile RDT&E processes, ensuring that EW and SIGINT capabilities continue to evolve in response to dynamic operational requirements and technological advancements.