TABLE OF CONTENTS In this discussion of ELINT receiver performance there has been an unstated assumption that these receivers are not subject to either noise jamming or deception. Since ELINT, as discussed here, is a peacetime activity,5 jamming is rarely a problem. Even during a conflict, it is unlikely that noise jamming would be used to hide a radar from an ELINT receiver since that would generally also interfere with the radar s function. Jamming initiated by the forces that were also using ELINT would presumably be done consciously and with knowledge of the consequences.
Spoofing (or deception) of ELINT receivers is another matter. Certainly, during peacetime, spoofing could take place at any of several levels. Radars could simply be operated with restricted sets of parameters that are changed during wartime. Radar-like transmitters could emit large numbers of pulses across a wide band of frequencies, making the ELINT process much more difficult and costly. Such counters to ELINT have simply not been judged cost-effective in times past. The radar designers have concentrated on making the radar operate to meet certain performance specifications. Spending resources on spoofing ELINT receivers has not been worthwhile. In tactical situations, such may not be the case. Clearly, there are benefits to deceiving a radar warning receiver, and such activities may become a problem.
The peacetime, strategic, manpower-intensive character of ELINT has meant that interference and deception against it are rare. While one can speculate about the existence of these activities in the future,...
