Rafael unveils STORM SHIELD™: miniature Electronic Warfare system for aerial platforms

13 May 2026 – Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. today unveiled STORM SHIELD™, a miniature electronic warfare (EW) self-protection and deception system developed specifically for unmanned aerial platforms. The system makes its international debut at the AOC Electronic Warfare conference in Helsinki, Finland.

STORM SHIELD™ addresses one of the most pressing operational gaps in modern unmanned operations: the absence of market available and combat-proven, active EW systems on unmanned platforms. As air defense systems have grown more sophisticated and contested electromagnetic environments more prevalent, unprotected unmanned platforms face increasing vulnerability limiting their operational reach and mission effectiveness precisely where they are needed most.

The growing demand to transfer operational missions to unmanned platforms capable of operating in suppressed or degraded theaters requires therefore integrating meaningful defensive capabilities — at UAV-compatible size, weight, and cost.

STORM SHIELD™ is a powerful, lightweight EW system that transforms unmanned operations enabling self-protection and deception against a wide range of threats.

The system continuously monitors the electromagnetic spectrum, detecting, analyzing, generating, and transmitting signals autonomously. Its broad spatial and frequency coverage enables a timely response across a wide range of threat types, substantially improving mission success probability. Spatial coverage extends to 360 degrees, ensuring protection independent of platform orientation or maneuver.

At its core, STORM SHIELD™ is built around an AESA transmitter architecture using solid-state R/T modules, paired with advanced DRFM-based technique generation and Digital RF Memory. These technologies — combat-proven across Rafael’s broader EW portfolio have been miniaturized to meet the demanding size, weight, and cost constraints of unmanned platforms. The system is fully programmable, enabling mission-tailored software configurations, and its modular architecture supports integration across a wide variety of UAV platforms using standard components.

Key capabilities include wide frequency coverage addressing a broad threat spectrum, direction-finding, continuous autonomous electromagnetic monitoring, and advanced deception techniques against radar-guided threats. The system is designed to be easily upgradeable, adaptable, and maintainable across the platforms on which it is deployed.

STORM SHIELD™ leverages Rafael’s in-service electronic warfare technologies, providing operators with a solution whose underlying performance is already validated in operational conditions — not a developmental program, but a proven capability for the unmanned domain.

photo courtesy Rafael