U.S. Air Force: ~$6.4M for AI that adapts to the RF environment — "Cognitive Electronic Warfare" (USAspending)
The U.S. Air Force ordered about $6.4 million ($6,429,414) for research on "Cognitive Electronic Warfare (Cognitive EW)" systems that use AI to adapt autonomously to the radio-frequency environment. The recipient is the major nonprofit Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Applied AI research for responding to unknown RF threats in real time.
Contract key facts
- RecipientSOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- Contract value$6,429,414 (≈$6.4M)
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Air Force
- Award typeDELIVERY ORDER
- Period of performance2023-09-27 〜 2025-03-25
- Contract ID (PIID)FA852323F0059
Contract scope (original)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) COGNITIVE ELECTRONIC WARFARE (EW) SYSTEMS
Key points
- The Air Force is researching AI-based "Cognitive Electronic Warfare (Cognitive EW)" that adapts to the RF environment
- Traditional EW centers on known threats — real-time response to unknown/changing signals is the challenge
- The aim is AI that analyzes and learns on the spot, adapting to unknown threats in real time
- Value ~$6.4M, delivery order, performance Sep 2023–Mar 2025
- Recipient: major independent nonprofit Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
Electronic warfare (EW) refers to the contest over radio waves (the electromagnetic spectrum) used by radar and communications — detecting and jamming an adversary's use of the spectrum, and protecting one's own.
Why it matters: traditional EW systems are effective against known, pre-registered threats (specific radar waveforms, etc.) but struggle to respond in real time to unknown signals or a rapidly changing RF environment. "Cognitive EW" brings AI to bear here, aiming for systems that analyze and learn from received signals on the spot and adapt to unknown threats in real time; this contract is that research. The recipient, SwRI, is one of the leading independent nonprofit research institutes in the U.S., broadly engaged in advanced government and industry research. It is an example, in the EW domain, of AI's role expanding from "pre-defined processing" to "judgment that adapts on the spot" (technical specifics are not in the source, so we do not speculate here).
Why it matters
An example, in the EW domain, of AI's role expanding from "pre-defined processing" to "judgment that adapts on the spot." Useful for tracking the technology trend of real-time, autonomous AI and defense R&D.
FAQ
What is electronic warfare (EW)?
What makes "cognitive" EW different?
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：FA852323F0059