ABSTRACT
Since the end of World War II, the Soviet Navy has developed an impressive electronic warfare capability, but more important, the Soviets understand and appreciate the role electronic warfare will play in any future naval conflict. The Soviets have developed many systems to exploit an opponent's use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Electronic support measures equipment is the primary means of exploitation, and the Soviets have a worldwide system, referred to in the West as the Soviet ocean surveillance system, which tracks the principal Western warships and provides targeting information. The Soviets use a land-based system for high-frequency direction finding, based on German technology captured at the end of World War II. The Soviets employ two types of launchers: a twin-barreled trainable launcher and a sixteen-barreled fixed launcher. The implications of the Soviet electronic warfare capability should affect both future US naval tactical development and future US procurement decisions.
