NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVISION, Point Mugu, Calf. — More than 600 industry and government leaders in electronic warfare gathered for the 45th Annual Collaborative Electronic Warfare Symposium at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California, April 5–7.
The symposium, jointly hosted by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division and the Association of Old Crows under a co-sponsorship agreement, focused on collaboration and innovation in the world of electronic warfare. The AOC is an organization for individuals who have common interests in electronic warfare, electromagnetic spectrum management operations, cyber electromagnetic activities, information operations, and other information related capabilities.
“Collaboration with industry all needs to take place in order for us to work together to resolve some of these very complex warfighting issues and problems,” said Dr. Ron Smiley, Naval Air Systems Command’s national director for Avionics, Sensors and E*Warfare Department. “Since the early days of electronic warfare, we have used a symposium venue as a way to bring various parties together to talk about those problems and issues and look at potential solutions.”
Every branch of the Department of Defense was represented during the classified briefings, and industry partners from Lockheed Martin, Leidos, and Raytheon also briefed. For the second year in a row, allied forces, in the form of members of the Royal Australian Air Force, joined the discussion.
Keynote speakers included Rear Adm. Mike Moran, NAVAIR program executive officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs; Rear Adm. Mathias Winter, chief of naval research; Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center; and Royal Australian Air Force Group Captain Timothy Churchill, director of the Growler Transition Office.
“By sharing with allies,” said Dr. David Serena, technologist with NAWCWD and conference chair for the event, “we not only develop our research and development capabilities, but we also develop our ability to fight together and train together. We are able to develop our capabilities concurrently so we can all benefit in gaining scientific knowledge.”
In addition to the briefings, attendees were invited to participate in tours of EW laboratories and static displays, which included several EW aircraft platforms. A U.S. Air Force RC-135 and a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler represented current EW platforms. Technology displays represented the future. The U.S. Navy’s last EA-6B Prowler, representing EW’s past, was also on display. It arrived last June at Point Mugu after its final flight and is now awaiting installation as a display piece.
That’s fitting, Smiley explained, due to EW’s long history at Point Mugu.
“It’s significant that we are hosting the symposium at Point Mugu frankly because naval aviation’s first organizational [electronic warfare] capability was established at Point Mugu some 60-plus years ago,” he said. “Point Mugu is the home of naval aviation’s core expertise in electronic warfare.”
For more information about NAWCWD, visit www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd.
For more information about AOC, visit www.crows.org.