L3Harris has brought its Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations (DiSCO) technology to the UK, demonstrating how electronic warfare is shifting from niche capability to the centre of modern force design.
The trial, conducted at DSEI in London, marked the first time DiSCO combined both communications and radar data into a near real-time common operating picture using a UK-built sensor.
The test linked the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s MAST-13 uncrewed vessel with L3Harris’ Spectrum Server. The system fused data from geographically separated sensors into a single view of the electromagnetic spectrum, a task that in past operations might have taken months.
Ed Zoiss, president of Space and Airborne Systems at L3Harris, said Ukraine has underscored the urgency of upgrading spectrum capabilities, adding that DiSCO “enables the warfighter to operationalize and weaponize EMS in ways previously unavailable.”
The company frames DiSCO as more than a tool for situational awareness. It is designed as a modular architecture pulling together seven elements: sensors, datalink hardware, cross-domain solutions, graphics processing, AI-enabled software, cloud access, and a shared application environment. By using open standards, L3Harris says it can integrate third-party systems while avoiding vendor lock-in.
For the UK and NATO, the appeal lies in the speed of decision-making. DiSCO is pitched as cutting the time from identifying an unknown signal from months to minutes. That compression could prove decisive in conflicts where electronic attack, jamming and counter-jamming unfold in seconds.
The demonstration also touched on survivability and force structure. By distributing effectors and decoupling sensor data from individual platforms, DiSCO aims to reduce reliance on single high-value assets. In practice, this could mean networked surface ships, aircraft and land-based sensors contributing to one EMS picture, giving commanders greater resilience against concentrated strikes.
