---
title: "Electronic Warfare “Disables” U.S. Aircraft In Syria"
description: "Cyber warfare has long loomed in our future, but there's little question that it's actually happening now. We usually think of this as someone in front of a computer purposely attacking another person's computer. Take the 2016 election: With the help of thousands of bots, Russian propaganda has made its way across the Atlantic, influencing..."
date: "2018-04-26"
modified: "2018-04-26"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/electronic-warfare-disables-aircraft-syria"
categories:
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "drones"
  - "electronic warfare"
  - "hacking"
  - "military"
  - "syria"
---

# Electronic Warfare “Disables” U.S. Aircraft In Syria

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/electronic-warfare.png>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://flic.kr/p/S6hhgN" target="\_blank"\>Jacqueline Poggi / Airman Magazine / Emily Cho\</a\>\</em\>*

Cyber warfare has long loomed in our future, but there's little question that it's actually happening now. We usually think of this as someone in front of a computer purposely attacking another person's computer. Take the 2016 election: With the help of [thousands of bots](<https://www.npr.org/2018/02/21/587502697/analyzing-the-strategic-use-of-russian-bots>), Russian propaganda has made its way across the Atlantic, influencing the minds of millions of Americans across the country through often [highly specific political targeting](<https://www.wired.com/story/pro-gun-russian-bots-flood-twitter-after-parkland-shooting/>).

But this isn't just happening online: a new kind of warfare, called electronic warfare (EW), is here. And as the name doesn't really suggest, it has a real effect on our physical world.

At a symposium made up of around 2,000 intelligence professionals, a U.S. Special Operations Command [revealed](<https://breakingdefense.com/2018/04/russia-widens-ew-war-disabling-ec-130s-in-syria/>) Tuesday that communications are being knocked down in a number of EC-130 aircraft in Syria, according to [an article published ](<https://breakingdefense.com/2018/04/russia-widens-ew-war-disabling-ec-130s-in-syria/>)on *Breaking Defense*.

[According to Lockheed Martin](<https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/electronic-warfare.html>), electronic warfare "represents the ability to use the electromagnetic spectrum—signals such as radio, infrared or radar—to sense, protect, and communicate," but also to jam or disrupt these signals.

The EC-130 is a military plane built by Lockheed. It's one of the [most sophisticated](<https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a15231362/the-us-has-an-electronic-warfare-plane-and-one-of-them-is-headed-to-korea/>) electronic warfare weapons in use, [capable itself of jamming](<http://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104550/ec-130h-compass-call/>) other airborne communication networks. It can pick out [individual radio frequencies](<https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a15231362/the-us-has-an-electronic-warfare-plane-and-one-of-them-is-headed-to-korea/>), and other civilian wireless signals, and jam them from the sky.

At the symposium, General Raymond Thomas called Syria the "most aggressive EW environment on the planet," noting that EC-130s were being "disabled."

While the source of the attacks is still unknown, Russia has a track record of jamming communications equipment in the past. [*NBC* reported](<https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931>) earlier this month that Russia figured out effective ways to jam U.S. drones in Syria, scrambling their GPS signals. That can confuse the operator, or even cause a crash.

Modern warfare, as we see here, is not limited to a number of [propaganda-esqe tweets.](<https://futurism.com/bots-democracy-ireland-referendum>) Clearly, in the future, hackers won't only be battling it out online. Seeing the effects IRL could redefine the way world powers conduct war in the near future.

That reconsideration will be critical, as military equipment is increasingly reliant on sophisticated technology, from [artificial intelligence](<https://futurism.com/google-maven-drones-military-contract>) to next-gen, [nuclear-blast resistant combat suits](<https://futurism.com/russias-next-gen-combat-suit-is-getting-tech-thats-resistant-to-nuclear-blasts>). But more technology can lead to more vulnerabilities, too — electronic warfare is only the beginning.

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)