Overview
- BAE unveiled the Shadow EW family during the Air Force Association conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, as a set of low‑size, weight and power electronic-warfare payloads for small aircraft and drones.
- Company materials say Shadow EW uses commercial microchips and open standards so the modules can be integrated across many platforms and updated in the field by software.
- BAE plans to produce the systems in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with software and design work in Nashua, New Hampshire, and says it built the family ahead of specific contracts by investing millions.
- The company describes Shadow EW as covering tasks from situational awareness to radar and communications effects, with model variants that span different frequency ranges and processing capabilities.
- Reporting is based on BAE statements and press materials so the claims about mass production, pricing and fielding have not been independently verified; the program signals industry movement toward cheaper, faster EW driven by lessons from Ukraine and U.S. procurement priorities.