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A cutting-edge electronic warfare system has been put through its paces during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, with US Indo-Pacific forces using the Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations (DiSCO) architecture to detect surface radars on vessels at sea.
The trial involved linking an aircraft and two SeaSat Lightfish autonomous vessels, each fitted with compact electronic warfare payloads. Data from the sensors was streamed into a secure, cloud-hosted DiSCO platform for real-time analysis and operational use.
According to L3Harris, which developed the system, the technology provided commanders with immediate intelligence on potential threats, allowing forces to identify high-priority targets more quickly and gain a tactical advantage.
“DiSCO gave the Talisman Sabre exercise commander timely threat intelligence and actionable information that helped identify high-priority surface targets and seize the tactical advantage,” said Ed Zoiss, president of space and airborne systems at L3Harris.
L3Harris designed DiSCO as a next-generation electromagnetic spectrum operations architecture. It integrates battlefield sensors, communications links and data sources through cloud applications and artificial intelligence, transforming raw signals into actionable combat data in near real time.
Zoiss added, “This critical technology provided insight into real-world challenges, culminating in DiSCO being lauded by numerous US and coalition service leaders.”
Where unknown signal identification once took months, the system reduces the process to minutes, a shift that the company said greatly improved survivability and ensured freedom of manoeuvre in contested environments.
The DiSCO architecture includes seven core components: advanced sensors, datalink hardware, cross-domain solutions, GPU-enabled processing, AI/ML software algorithms, cloud access, and a user-facing application marketplace.
Developed with internal investment, DiSCO is being advanced in partnership with cyber and cloud specialists, including Everfox. The system is designed with open standards to avoid vendor lock, allowing integration of third-party sensors, applications and hardware.
By creating a unified electronic warfare network, DiSCO supports live mission data fusion, electronic battle management, and command-and-control functions across multiple domains.
L3Harris said the system not only boosts the effectiveness of existing EW and radar platforms but is also adaptable for future advancements, ensuring coalition forces can maintain spectrum dominance and close long-range kill chains at speed.
Talisman Sabre 2025 marked the first large-scale demonstration of the DiSCO system in a multinational operational environment, with the technology drawing strong interest from the US and partner defence leaders.
