Onzila Aziz holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has earned gold medals in both Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. She has a strong academic foundation and focuses on Asia-Pacific studies, strategic affairs, emerging technologies, arms races, and arms control. Onzila Aziz is particularly interested in how evolving military technologies are reshaping regional security dynamics and global power structures.

On May 7, 2025, news broke that sent ripples through the strategic community in South Asia as Pakistan had successfully shot down five Indian aircraft, including three of the much-celebrated Rafale jets, using a mix of conventional and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. In the days that followed, more than 80 Indian drones were reportedly neutralized, not just through costly missile-based systems, but through “soft kills”, a term that points directly to the unseen hand of electronic countermeasures. The event marks not just a tactical victory but a strategic warning as the electromagnetic spectrum is now a battlefield in its own right.

Electronic warfare, or EW, is all about controlling the electromagnetic spectrum, the space from Radio waves to Gamma rays, where communication signals, radar, GPS, and other tech tools live. If one can dominate that space, one can see the enemy without being seen, confuse their systems, and even bring down their aircraft or drones without firing a single bullet.

Electronic Warfare (EW) refers to the strategic use of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum to detect, disrupt, or degrade enemy capabilities while protecting one’s friendly aircraft and systems. Broadly, EW can be divided into three interlinked categories:

Electronic Countermeasures (ECM): Offensive actions aimed at jamming, deceiving, or blinding enemy sensors and communications.

Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM): Defensive techniques that protect friendly use of the spectrum, such as frequency hopping or signal encryption.

Electronic Support Measures (ESM): Passive detection systems gather intelligence, identify threats, and cue attacks.

These categories........

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