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cyber · defense-engineering

Electronic Warfare Engineer

$135k – $215k

Design jammers, spoofers, and EW payloads — and the countermeasures that keep friendly autonomy operating through them.

Why it matters

EW is the contested electromagnetic battlefield where every assumption about GPS, comms, and sensor truth breaks down. It is one of the highest-leverage skills in modern defense.

Skills at a glance

Courses for this role

1

Foundations

6 months

EM spectrum, antenna theory, and signal-processing fundamentals — the physics under every jammer and every counter-jammer.

Skill
🛠 SkillEM spectrum & propagation
essentialFree

Knowing what your signal does between antennas.

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🛠 SkillAntenna theory
essentialFree

Apertures, gain, polarization — the four numbers that decide a system's reach.

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🛠 SkillDigital signal processing
essentialFree

EW is DSP at its core.

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Course
🎓 CourseSignals & Systems· MIT OCW
essentialFree80hintermediate

Classical SS course — the foundation for every EW concept.

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2

Build the stack

9 months

SDR for EW, jammer design, and the specialized techniques (spoofing, deception) that define the offensive side.

Skill
🛠 SkillSDR for EW (USRP, HackRF, BladeRF)
essentialFree

Modern EW work is software defined.

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🛠 SkillJammer & spoofer design
essentialFree

The core craft.

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🛠 SkillESM (Electronic Support Measures) — passive collection
essentialFree

Before you jam, you collect. ESM systems detect, classify, and direction-find emitters without radiating — the defensive half of EW and the gateway to every offensive technique.

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🛠 SkillGPS spoofing & GNSS resilience
importantFree

GPS-denied autonomy is one of the largest growth areas.

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🛠 SkillML / cognitive EW
importantFree

Adaptive jammers and ML-based threat classification are how the next decade of EW gets fought.

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Course
🎓 CoursePractical Electronic Warfare· Self-study
importantFree50hadvanced

Comprehensive overview of EW techniques.

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Knowledge
📖 KnowledgeEW doctrine (FM 3-12, JP 3-85)
importantFree

The US joint doctrine for EW operations.

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3

Field experience

12 months

Range testing, clearance work, and the doctrinal side of operating in contested spectrum.

Skill
🛠 SkillEW range testing
essentialFree

Cleared range time is how EW gear actually gets validated.

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Knowledge
📖 KnowledgeSignature management
importantFree

Reducing your own EM signature is half the EW battle.

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📖 KnowledgeClearance requirements (TS/SCI)
essentialFree

Most production EW work happens at TS/SCI.

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📖 KnowledgeNATO STANAG 4193 / 4250
recommendedFree

Standards governing allied EW interoperability.

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