ECM

Meaning

Electronic Countermeasures

Description

Electronic Countermeasures are any sort of electrical or electronic device designed entirely to confuse enemy detection systems. They may be used both offensively or defensively in any method to deny targeting information to an enemy. The system may make it seem that there are hundreds of separate targets, or make the real target seem to disappear or move about randomly.

Colonial Use

The Colonial Raptor is equipped with a range of ECM systems including:

• Electronic signature decoys (Miniseries)
• Radio jamming equipment (33)
• Detection interference

These systems can be activated by either the pilot or the ECO.

Cylon Use

The Cylons used two forms of ECM during the Cylon attack.

The first form involved simple jamming of Colonial wireless channels during the Cylon Attack. This forced any Colonial vessel to escape from jamming range or use communication drones to transmit outside of jamming range.

The second form involved the transmission of false ship echos when DRADIS or other Colonial ship detection scanned for enemies. It took Helo, the ECO aboard Raptor 478 several precious minutes attempting to eliminate the ghosts from the actual craft as they accompanied a squadron of Viper Mk. VII fighters engaging a group of Cylon Raiders. (Miniseries).

While not truly an ECM feat, which tries to overcome existing forms of detection and attack in the heat of battle, an electronic and devastating was made by Cylon attack craft when they transmitted a coded virus to all Colonial vessels within range. This virus used a backdoor programmed into the Command Navigation Program installed aboard Colonial ships to disable their integrated systems and leave them vulnerable to attack (Miniseries). Technically, this is more akin to sabotage since Cylon agents were used prior to the attack to jury-rig the CNP.