CDR recently sent Ottawa Bureau Chief, James Careless, to visit D-TA Systems and learn more about the company’s Portable, Affordable EW Threat Trainer for F-35 Pilots and speak with Lt. Colonel Fabian Fertetti of the Belgian Air Force. Here is our report.

BY JAMES CARELESS

Like all air forces that are adopting the F-35 as their preferred jet fighter, the Belgian Air Force (BAF) has a problem. The BAF needs to train its F-35 pilots to detect and respond to Electronic Warfare (EW) threats in an affordable and practical manner.

This is why a BAF team led by Lt. Colonel Fabian Fertetti developed the idea of a trailer-based THREAT (Theatre Replication for Advanced Test & Training) EW signal system to meet this need. To design, build, test, and deliver this concept in a timely manner, the BAF partnered with Ottawa’s D-TA Systems, renowned for using off-the-shelf technology to build affordable yet effective over-the-horizon radar and other EW systems.

READ: D-TA Systems and QinetiQ to Deliver Advanced Electronic Warfare Range Equipment

SERVING THREE REQUIREMENTS

As envisioned by LTC Fertetti and his team, the mobile THREAT trailer will serve three major F-35 training requirements. “First, it will train the pilot to operate in a contested and congested EW environment. Second, you need to train the pilots to respond to hostile engagements, such as a simulated surface-to-air missile being shot at you. And third, the F-35 pilot needs to learn how to suppress and destroy enemy air defences. All three of these requirements are covered by the THREAT system,” LTC Fertetti told CDR during his visit to D-TA’s facility in June 2025. This was the mission that the BAF asked D-TA Systems to fulfill in accepting this contract.

D-TA’s THREAT2

D-TA’s response to the BAF’s requirements is the THREAT2 EW simulation trailer, which LTC Fertetti examined with D-TA Systems Executive Chairman Dr. Dipak Roy at his side. Judging by their reactions, the examination was a success for all concerned.

            Dr. Roy explained the THREAT2’s capabilities to CDR during our visit. “The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), NATO and other allies are exploring options to expand and modernize their EW training capabilities,” he said. “They recognize that the traditional approach of investing in permanent buildings, antenna towers and high-cost, isolated threat emitters provide inflexible solutions that no longer align with evolving training needs.”

            This is where D-TA’s highly advanced THREAT2 offers a realistic alternative. It is a low-cost, mobile unit equipped with high-fidelity EW emulators capable of generating over 1 MW EIRP, for supporting fifth generation fighters like the F-35 as well as legacy combat aircraft. “To do this, THREAT2’s nodes use D-TA’s PETS+ EW threat emulators for RF signal emulation with high EIRP,” said Dr. Roy. “D-TA’s unique I/Q data (waveform baseband data) streaming from computer hard drives can create any signal type with any characteristic and virtually unlimited emitter density without the signal dropout problem of legacy systems.”

READ: D-TA Systems – NORAD MODERNIZATION – Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations

COMPELLING VALUE PROPOSITIONS

Compared to fixed EW training systems, D-TA’s THREAT2 offers a number of compelling value propositions. For instance, constructing fixed EW ranges for training typically involves building access roads, security fencing, erecting towers, and establishing climate-controlled shelters, staffing, and maintenance of each site, regardless of its usage frequency. “In contrast, THREAT2 trailers arrive as fully integrated, self-contained units,” Dr. Roy said. “They require only minimal site preparation, can be powered by on-board generators or other green options, and demand no permanent foundation or utilities. THREAT2 trailers are also built for airlift and road travel, including off-road capabilities, and can be deployed wherever you need them.”

At the same time, the maintenance and personnel requirements associated with THREAT2 trailers are significantly lower than those for manned or fixed-range facilities. “This system simplifies logistics with centralized maintenance and deployment teams, extending its lifecycle value by providing easy updates, relocation, refitting or retirement,” Dr. Roy told CDR.

Meanwhile, the modular THREAT2 design enables scalable deployment, from a single trailer used for localized training or testing to multiple trailers being deployed simultaneously to simulate layered and networked threat environments. “Mobile reconfigurable threat systems create more opportunities for creative exercise design,” he said. “Variables such as enemy relocation, deception, sudden appearance of new threat emitters mid-session, shifts in adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures can be simulated to add layers of tactical ambiguity for effective pilot training.”

            Finally, D-TA’s THREAT2 trailers are designed to integrate with modern training systems worldwide. “By utilizing bridging middleware, THREAT2 seamlessly integrates with Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) protocols for broad compatibility with NATO and partner simulations,” Dr. Roy explained. “D-TA’s test and training-enabling architecture (TENA) allows integration into live training environments and allied ranges. This interoperability allows THREAT2 trailers to participate in cross-border exercises such as RED FLAG, MAPLE FLAG, and multinational Arctic operations.”

            In summary, D-TA THREAT2 EW training trailers offer a tremendous degree of EQ capabilities within a mobile platform. As demonstrated to CDR, the THREAT2 is easy and quick to set up, activate, and shut down for redeployment. Like other D-TA products, the THREAT2 is purpose-built to support a diverse range of missions in a compact, affordable, and easy-to-service package. This solution meets the BAF’s requirements for a cost-effective, portable system.

            LTC Fertetti was highly satisfied with what he saw at D-TA Systems during his visit. “This was a factory acceptance test of the THREAT2,” he said. “We verified all of the specific technical specifications with regard to certain test scenarios, and we’re happy with the product. In fact, we think that it’s already good enough to begin the training with.”

            Based on this positive result, the THREAT2 trailer is being shipped to Europe, for deployment in a BAF operational training and evaluation campaign starting September 2025. “The BAF’s test pilots and EW expert team will see how well the THREAT2 performs facing real F-16s and F-35s,” said LTC Fertetti. “Based on the results of that analysis and that campaign, we will be able to proceed with the second phase of the project, which is acquiring multiple THREAT2 trailers in various configurations to address typical training scenarios in 2026. If the system works as well as we think it will, I can foresee THREAT2 trailers being used and shared across all NATO and F-35 members. They would significantly improve interoperability, training, and cost-effectiveness.”

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief