The combined electronic warfare, signals intelligence, and cyber weapon being developed by Lockheed Martin is called the Terrestrial Layer System-Brigade Combat Team (TLS-BCT) and is part of the U.S. Army’s reinvestment in jamming, spoofing, and spying to compete with Russia and China. Army Brig. Gen. Ed Barker of Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S), stated the system is on a good path to realization after soldier testing this year, and is planned to be installed aboard Stryker combat vehicles and Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles. The next SIGINT, EW, and cyberspace operations platform for the Army is still undergoing development and has been subject to an operational demonstration, revealing informative insights.
The TLS-BCT system is critical for the smaller Army formations, aimed at disrupting sensitive networks and advanced electronics, and a major factor in the modern warfare strategic landscape is manipulation of the electromagnetic spectrum, which the system addresses. An operational assessment of TLS-BCT is expected in fiscal 2025.
Deon Viergutz, Lockheed’s vice president of spectrum convergence, confirms the Defense Department’s desire for sophisticated jammers and the company’s recognition of the driving factors arising from the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars. Lockheed is also leading the development of the Army’s TLS-Echelons Above Brigade and the Multi-Function Electronic Warfare-Air Large. The Maryland-based company is the largest defense contractor in the world based on revenue.
