Within Threat Training
The New Threat Range Is Electronic
Modern threat ranges must reproduce emissions, drone links and information effects, not just enemy silhouettes on the horizon.
On this page
- Why visual realism is no longer enough
- How drones and jammers change range design
- What must be live, simulated or updated
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Introduction
Training against captured or reverse-engineered foreign military technology once focused on visible threats: tanks that looked like enemy armour, aircraft painted in adversary colours, and radar emitters that reproduced known signatures. Modern battlefields have changed that equation. Units are now threatened not only by what they can see, but by drones overhead, electronic jamming they cannot see at all, and deceptive signals that distort navigation, targeting and situational awareness. As a result, realistic threat ranges increasingly need to reproduce the electromagnetic and information environment alongside physical equipment. A training area that accurately imitates an enemy vehicle but lacks drone reconnaissance, signal interference and deceptive emissions risks preparing forces for a battlefield that no longer exists. Recent military training reforms and lessons from contemporary conflicts have pushed range designers toward environments where unmanned systems, electronic warfare and false signals are treated as routine hazards rather than specialist additions.[army.mil]army.milCounter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Training and…September 2, 2025 — 2 Sept 2025 — This paper examines the current enemy UAS t…
Why Visual Realism Is No Longer Enough
During the Cold War, realistic training often meant making friendly equipment resemble foreign systems. The goal was to familiarise troops with enemy silhouettes, tactics and weapons. That remains useful, but modern sensors can identify and target forces long before visual recognition matters.
The spread of small unmanned aerial systems has transformed reconnaissance. Drones can observe troop movements, identify firing positions and direct weapons at ranges where opposing forces may never see each other directly. Modern electronic warfare systems can also detect radio transmissions, locate emitters and reveal positions without any visual contact. Contemporary battlefield analysis increasingly describes combat as occurring within a transparent environment where signatures matter as much as physical presence.[Small Wars Journal]smallwarsjournal.comSmall Wars Journal Train to Lie: Small-Unit Deception on a TransparentSmall Wars JournalTrain to Lie: Small-Unit Deception on a Transparent…June 19, 2026 — 19 Jun 2026 — A drone spotting a single fighting…
For training organisations that use captured or reverse-engineered threat equipment, this creates a new requirement. Reproducing an adversary’s tank or air-defence vehicle is no longer sufficient if trainees are not simultaneously exposed to the drone surveillance networks, communications monitoring and electronic attack systems that accompany those platforms in real operations. A range that lacks these effects may accurately represent hardware while failing to represent how that hardware is actually employed.[Army]army.milCounter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Training and…September 2, 2025 — 2 Sept 2025 — This paper examines the current enemy UAS t…
How Drones and Jammers Change Range Design
Modern threat ranges increasingly need three interconnected layers: physical threats, electromagnetic threats and information threats.
Drone Presence Must Be Continuous
Recent military assessments have emphasised that drones are no longer occasional battlefield assets. They function as persistent reconnaissance platforms, target spotters, strike systems and communications relays. Training centres adapting to current combat lessons have therefore begun incorporating opposing-force drone operations into routine exercises rather than treating them as special events.[army.mil]army.milCounter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Training and…September 2, 2025 — 2 Sept 2025 — This paper examines the current enemy UAS t…
For range designers, this means creating airspace management systems that allow large numbers of drones to operate safely while still imposing realistic pressure on trainees. Soldiers must assume that movement, vehicle concentrations and radio emissions can be observed at almost any time. Training objectives increasingly include concealment, signature management and counter-drone responses alongside traditional manoeuvre tasks.[Modern War Institute]mwi.westpoint.eduModern War Institute -Let Them Fly: To Generate Drone Combat ReadinessOctober 1, 2025 — 1 Oct 2025 — By institutionalizing NOTAMs, ROZs, and risk assessments, installations can transition from ad hoc drone f…
Electronic Warfare Must Be Experienced, Not Described
Captured foreign electronic warfare equipment and exploitation data have long supported threat simulators, but current conflicts have elevated electronic attack from a specialist concern to a routine battlefield condition.
Modern electronic warfare training systems attempt to reproduce radar emissions, communications interference, navigation disruption and hostile sensing. Threat simulators are specifically designed to generate the same indications and warnings that operators would experience from actual enemy systems, allowing crews to practise reactions under realistic conditions.[Leonardo DRS]leonardodrs.comLeonardo DRSElectronic Warfare (EW) Threat SimulatorsEW Threat Simulators prepare combat pilots for missile threats. Our EW threat simula…
Recent efforts to redesign military training environments have been driven partly by the recognition that many existing ranges cannot fully reproduce the level of jamming encountered in contemporary conflicts. Military planners have openly discussed the need for training areas that can mimic the electronic warfare conditions observed in Ukraine, including persistent interference with communications and drone operations.[cbsnews.com]cbsnews.comCBS News Army looking into using 2 U.Sranges for testing to mimic…23 Jun 2026 —… ranges for testing to mimic electronic jamming… Faced with that threat, Ukraine produ…
The Range Itself Becomes a Sensor Network
Traditional ranges measured whether troops hit targets. Modern ranges increasingly monitor electromagnetic behaviour as well.
Electronic warfare training ranges now include distributed emitters, sensors and instrumentation capable of reproducing complex threat environments. These systems can simulate hostile radar networks, communications intercept capabilities, deceptive emitters and dynamic electronic reactions. Rather than merely tracking physical movement, the range evaluates how units manage emissions, respond to interference and adapt to changing electronic conditions.[HAVELSAN]havelsan.comElectronic Warfare Test and Training RangeElectronic Warfare Test and Training RangeJune 3, 2026 — The HAVELSAN EWTTR directly addresses these challenges as it provides wi…
The Growing Importance of Fake Signals
One of the most significant changes in modern training is the need to expose personnel to deception rather than simple interference.
Jamming denies information by overwhelming a signal. Deception is often more difficult because it provides believable but false information. Modern electronic warfare can involve spoofing navigation systems, creating phantom emitters, generating false targets or manipulating data streams so that operators make incorrect decisions while believing their systems remain functional.[drone-warfare.com]drone-warfare.comelectronic warfareDrone WarfareCounter-UAS Electronic Warfare: Jamming, Spoofing & Defeat23 Mar 2026 — Counter-UAS electronic warfare defeats drones by dis…
For a threat range, this means training environments cannot simply switch communications off. They must sometimes provide misleading information instead. Examples include:
- False Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals that alter navigation data.
- Simulated enemy emitters that appear in unexpected locations.
- Decoy communications traffic intended to mislead intelligence collection.
- Electronic signatures designed to draw attention away from genuine targets.
- Phantom drone activity that forces commanders to evaluate ambiguous information.
These effects mirror a broader shift in warfare. Success increasingly depends not only on detecting threats but also on distinguishing genuine information from deliberately manipulated signals.[arxiv.org]arxiv.orgElectronic Warfare Cyberattacks, Countermeasures and…10 Apr 2025 — In such attacks, fake signals are generated by malicious actor…
What Must Be Live, Simulated or Updated
A central implementation challenge is deciding which threats require physical systems and which can be represented through simulation.
Captured or reverse-engineered equipment remains valuable when its exact behaviour matters. Real drones, authentic emitters and exploited foreign systems provide reference data that simulations can be validated against. This prevents training environments from drifting away from actual threat characteristics over time.[Leonardo DRS]leonardodrs.comLeonardo DRSElectronic Warfare (EW) Threat SimulatorsEW Threat Simulators prepare combat pilots for missile threats. Our EW threat simula…
However, complete replication is often impractical. Threat ranges increasingly combine:
- Live systems for drone operations, sensor collection and selected electronic warfare effects.
- Constructive simulations for large-scale enemy networks and distributed emitter architectures.
- Hybrid emitters that reproduce threat signatures without requiring the original equipment.
- Software-defined threat systems that can be updated rapidly as foreign technology evolves.[havelsan.com]havelsan.comElectronic Warfare Test and Training RangeElectronic Warfare Test and Training RangeJune 3, 2026 — The HAVELSAN EWTTR directly addresses these challenges as it provides wi…
The need for rapid updates has become particularly important because drone technologies, communications methods and countermeasures evolve much faster than traditional military platforms. A training range designed around a five-year update cycle may accurately represent an armoured vehicle but be badly outdated in its electronic and unmanned threat environment. Contemporary conflicts have shown how quickly drone control links, navigation techniques and anti-jamming measures can change in response to battlefield adaptation.[businessinsider.com]businessinsider.comThe pervasive use of EW by both Ukraine and Russia results in frequent jamming and confusing of drones and traditional weapons. This "hid…
From Equipment Replication to Environment Replication
The most important shift is conceptual. Earlier threat ranges concentrated on replicating enemy equipment. Modern threat ranges increasingly aim to replicate enemy environments.
In practice, this means that reverse engineering foreign military technology feeds not only vehicle mock-ups and threat emitters but also drone tactics, electronic attack techniques, sensor networks and deception methods. The objective is no longer simply to expose troops to a foreign platform. It is to expose them to the combined physical, electronic and informational effects that platform creates when integrated into a modern combat system. As drone warfare and electronic warfare continue to merge, the most realistic threat range may be the one where soldiers are uncertain whether a signal, target or observation is real at all.[army.mil]army.milCounter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Training and…September 2, 2025 — 2 Sept 2025 — This paper examines the current enemy UAS t…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: army.mil
Link:https://www.army.mil/article/288207/counter_unmanned_aerial_systems_c_uas_training_and_implementation_at_the_national_training_center
Source snippet
Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Training and...September 2, 2025 — 2 Sept 2025 — This paper examines the current enemy UAS t...
Published: September 2, 2025
2.
Source: leonardodrs.com
Link:https://www.leonardodrs.com/what-we-do/products-and-services/electronic-warfare-ew-threat-simulators/
Source snippet
Leonardo DRSElectronic Warfare (EW) Threat SimulatorsEW Threat Simulators prepare combat pilots for missile threats. Our EW threat simula...
3.
Source: media.defense.gov
Link:https://media.defense.gov/1992/Jul/15/2001714601/-1/-1/1/92-125.pdf
Source snippet
Department of WarDoD Management of Electronic Warfare Threat Simulators...15 Jul 1992 — We recommended reviewing the location of all tra...
4.
Source: havelsan.com
Title: Electronic Warfare Test and Training Range
Link:https://www.havelsan.com/en/beyond-today/electronic-warfare-test-and-training-range
Source snippet
Electronic Warfare Test and Training RangeJune 3, 2026 — The HAVELSAN EWTTR directly addresses these challenges as it provides wi...
Published: June 3, 2026
5.
Source: drone-warfare.com
Title: electronic warfare
Link:https://drone-warfare.com/counter-uas/electronic-warfare/
Source snippet
Drone WarfareCounter-UAS Electronic Warfare: Jamming, Spoofing & Defeat23 Mar 2026 — Counter-UAS electronic warfare defeats drones by dis...
6.
Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/html/2504.07358v1
Source snippet
Electronic Warfare Cyberattacks, Countermeasures and...10 Apr 2025 — In such attacks, fake signals are generated by malicious actor...
7.
Source: thedefensepost.com
Title: us army test ranges ukraine
Link:https://thedefensepost.com/2026/06/24/us-army-test-ranges-ukraine/
Source snippet
exercise, including scenarios involving drone and missile threats similar to those seen on the battlefield. Tags. Conflict counter drone...
8.
Source: cbsnews.com
Title: CBS News Army looking into using 2 U.S
Link:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/army-u-s-ranges-testing-ukraine-electronic-jamming/
Source snippet
ranges for testing to mimic...23 Jun 2026 —... ranges for testing to mimic electronic jamming... Faced with that threat, Ukraine produ...
9.
Source: smallwarsjournal.com
Title: Small Wars Journal Train to Lie: Small-Unit Deception on a Transparent
Link:https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/06/19/train-to-lie-small-unit-deception-on-a-transparent-battlefield/
Source snippet
Small Wars JournalTrain to Lie: Small-Unit Deception on a Transparent...June 19, 2026 — 19 Jun 2026 — A drone spotting a single fighting...
Published: June 19, 2026
10.
Source: businessinsider.com
Link:https://www.businessinsider.com/hidden-electronic-warfare-battle-demanding-more-of-ukrainian-soldiers
Source snippet
The pervasive use of EW by both Ukraine and Russia results in frequent jamming and confusing of drones and traditional weapons. This "hid...
11.
Source: smallwarsjournal.com
Title: adapting the combat training centers for the drone battlefield
Link:https://smallwarsjournal.com/2026/01/08/adapting-the-combat-training-centers-for-the-drone-battlefield/
Source snippet
Adapting the Combat Training Centers for the Drone...8 Jan 2026 — Combat Training Centers (CTCs) should integrate drones into defense an...
12.
Source: mwi.westpoint.edu
Title: Modern War Institute -Let Them Fly: To Generate Drone Combat Readiness
Link:https://mwi.westpoint.edu/let-them-fly-to-generate-drone-combat-readiness-army-installations-must-step-up/
Source snippet
October 1, 2025 — 1 Oct 2025 — By institutionalizing NOTAMs, ROZs, and risk assessments, installations can transition from ad hoc drone f...
Published: October 1, 2025
Additional References
13.
Source: faculty.ai
Link:https://faculty.ai/electronic-warfare
Source snippet
AI-enabled Electronic WarfareFaculty's technology addresses and solves drone detection threats: from reactive to predictive, from hardwar...
14.
Source: marketintelo.com
Link:https://marketintelo.com/report/electronic-warfare-training-range-market
Source snippet
Electronic-Warfare Training Range Market Research...AI-driven adaptive threat engines can dynamically adjust threat behavior based on tr...
15.
Source: elbitsystems.com
Link:https://www.elbitsystems.com/news/elbit-systems-unveils-new-electronic-warfare-capability-counter-drone-threats-paris-airshow
Source snippet
Elbit Systems Unveils New Electronic Warfare Capability to...15 Jun 2023 — This new Radar Warning Receiver capability locates drones and...
16.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B6HRRByeIY
Source snippet
Electronic warfare: key technology in the Ukraine warIn this video Colonel Markus Reisner analyzes the importance of electronic warfare t...
17.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly8RjjX6SbM
Source snippet
US Army Drone Warfare Training in Germany Simulates...The exercise also includes counter-drone technology, signal jamming systems, and u...
18.
Source: defenseone.com
Title: army needs more realistic drone training more versatile drones
Link:https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2026/03/army-needs-more-realistic-drone-training-more-versatile-drones/412389/
Source snippet
Lessons from Ukraine are shaping US Army's drones...25 Mar 2026 — A one-way attack Hornet Drone is set up during a demonstration in the...
19.
Source: defensescoop.com
Title: army electronic warfare working get gear units faster
Link:https://defensescoop.com/2025/08/20/army-electronic-warfare-working-get-gear-units-faster/
Source snippet
Here's how the Army is working to get electronic warfare...20 Aug 2025 — Those systems were used to great effect against enemies in trai...
20.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/unboxfactory/posts/modern-wars-are-increasingly-fought-in-the-electromagnetic-spectrum-electronic-w/1047852160899167/
Source snippet
itary radios, interfere with GPS signals, and even confuse incoming...Read more...
21.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/foreign.policy.magazine/posts/electronic-warfare-is-now-a-key-component-of-modern-warfare/1379131237411837/
Source snippet
ficial intelligence (AI) to jam signals, disrupt radar and...Read more...
22.
Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYnhZexgkD3/
Source snippet
es, identify the control frequency, and jam the signal — forcing the...
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