EW Operator
Requirements
- Age 18 and over
- Fitness for military service in terms of health and moral and psychological qualities
- Digital literacy is essential, along with the ability and desire to learn new things
- Readiness to work in the combat zone
- Technical skills are an advantage
Responsibilities
- Analysing the electronic environment on the battlefield, ensuring information superiority
- Maintaining and calibrating direction-finding and EW equipment, ensuring it works without interruption
- Operational use of direction-finding equipment to detect and locate enemy radio-electronic signals and UAVs
- Using EW equipment to jam enemy communications, UAVs, and the enemy's radar and other electronic systems
- Observing military discipline and carrying out combat orders
- Complying with internal rules and safety instructions
Terms
- Mobilisation until the end of martial law, or contract service
- Basic and specialist training as required
- Pay: base pay of UAH 21,000 + an additional bonus of up to UAH 100,000 for carrying out tasks in the combat zone — up to UAH 121,000 per month in total, depending on the duration and area of the tasks
- Full social package
- Full provision of protective equipment and military property
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Vacancy: EW Operator
Electronic warfare is a war you cannot see. No one fires a shot here, but this is exactly where it is decided whether an enemy drone reaches our positions and whether its communications work.
The EW Operator does two things. The first is seeing: using direction-finding equipment to determine where the enemy is transmitting from, which frequencies it uses and where its operators are working. The second is stopping it from working: jamming drone control links, communications and radar.
This is one of the most in-demand specialities of modern warfare. There are now more drones than artillery, and every one of them depends on a radio link. Whoever can find and cut that link protects not just one position but the entire sector.
This is a job for someone who is curious about how things work. It is less about physical strength and much more about attentiveness, analysis and patience.
Who can become an EW Operator
A technical education is not required. Digital literacy is — you do need it. But this is not about a radio engineering degree; it is about being able to work confidently with technology and quickly get to grips with new things.
What really matters:
- Digital literacy. Being able to work with software, understand interfaces and not freeze in front of unfamiliar equipment
- An analytical mind. A large part of the work is reading the situation: what has changed on the airwaves, what it means, how to respond
- Attentiveness and patience. Results here are not instant — they come from consistent observation
- Willingness to keep learning. The enemy changes tactics and equipment, so what worked a month ago has to be checked again
- Medical fitness — determined by the military medical board (VLK)
Experience in amateur radio, IT, electronics, network configuration or working with any complex equipment will come in handy. But we take people without it too — we train from scratch.
How an EW operator differs from related positions: a signaller keeps our own link running, a UAV operator flies the aircraft, while an EW operator works against other people's links — finding them and shutting them down. These are opposite tasks, even though they take place on the same field.
What an EW Operator does in the 141st SMB
Main tasks:
- Analysing the electronic environment: what is transmitting, from where and with what level of activity
- Direction finding — detecting sources of enemy radio emissions and determining their bearing
- Using EW equipment against the control links of enemy drones, communications and radar
- Maintaining and calibrating equipment so that it works when it is needed
- Working with other units: what the EW operator sees is needed by reconnaissance, artillery and command alike
A distinctive feature of the work is that it changes every month. The enemy switches to new frequencies, changes protocols and tries to get around our defences. So the EW operator does not follow a fixed instruction but is constantly looking for solutions. For someone who enjoys solving problems, this is the most interesting part of the specialty.
How you will be trained
You will be trained from scratch. You do not need an EW operator VOS (military occupational specialty) or any military training at all. The path is the same for everyone who joins the brigade: 51 days of basic military training, then the brigade's own adaptation course — 14–15 days, followed by specialist training in your role.
The adaptation course is run by our instructors with combat experience, not by the textbook. These are not lectures: a 12–15 kilometre march with drills for different situations, including reacting to drones. Training continues at night too. Water and ration packs are dropped along the route by heavy drones — so that the skill of collecting cargo from the air is built in advance, in calm conditions.
Tactical medicine is drilled separately until it is automatic: tourniquet, bandage, helping a brother-in-arms — on training mannequins until the movements become habit. Our instructors' principle is short: the priority is to survive.
In this specialty, learning really never ends — and that is not a figure of speech but the essence of the job. The enemy's equipment changes, so our methods change too.
What you will be provided with
You will be fully kitted out. The brigade provides everything you need — from gear to equipment. On top of the standard issue, soldiers of the 141st also receive what the brigade develops and tests itself: an enemy drone detector and thermal camouflage. Such things rarely reach units through general supply — so we make them in-house. For an EW operator this is especially noticeable: you work with exactly the kind of equipment the brigade is improving.
You will not be on your own. The EW operator works as part of a unit where everyone covers everyone else. The whole training system is built around making sure the group comes back at full strength. "One for another" is not a slogan on a T-shirt but the way work is organised here.
What the terms include:
- Pay and additional payments for carrying out tasks
- Full provision of gear, protective equipment and military property
- The social package provided for service members
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Where you can grow
EW operator is the entry point into the branch that is currently developing faster than any other. The real steps up:
- Senior operator — your own area of responsibility, more complex tasks
- EW squad leader — your own people, your own decisions, NCO positions and higher base pay
- Instructor — teaching newcomers what you can already do yourself
- Related branches — unmanned systems, communications, reconnaissance. Transferring within the brigade is possible and is normal practice
In the 141st, rank is an entry in your military ID. What counts is competence, a cool head and readiness to take responsibility. See a solution — propose it. Your career here depends on results, not length of service.
There is also a distinct culture of recognition: our patches are not handed out for length of service but earned for specific deeds — green for combat work and lives saved, blue for assault actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Logic and process: we answer the key questions about enlistment, training and status.
Apply for this positionDo I need a technical education?
+No. You need digital literacy — the ability to work with technology and get to grips with new things. Experience in IT, electronics or amateur radio will come in handy, but it is not required.
What is EW in simple terms?
+Electronic warfare. Two tasks: find where the enemy is transmitting from, and cut its links — above all, drone control links.
How long does training take?
+51 days of basic military training, a 14–15 day adaptation course in the brigade, then specialist training in your role.
I have no military experience. Can I still join you?
+Yes. Most of our best specialists were civilians yesterday. What matters to us is your motivation. We’ll match a role to your skills: if you understand machinery — you’ll go to the mechanics; if you know electronics — to UAVs or communications. Everything military — we’ll teach you.
How long does training take before deployment to the unit?
+Every recruit completes Basic General Military Training (BGMT) at a training center. After that — additional specialized training depending on the chosen role. We send only the prepared to the line of contact — that is our core principle.
What happens after I fill out the form?
+Your application goes to the recruiting center. Within 24 hours our specialist will call — it’s not an interrogation, just an introduction and answers to your questions. If we’re a match, the brigade issues an official request and our liaison helps you get through the TRC and MMB as fast as possible.
Can I transfer to the 141st SMB from another unit?
+Yes, we consider transfers — including via the Army+ app. Fill out the form and select the status “Active service member” — a recruiter will advise on your real chances and the steps involved.
I am AWOL (SZCh). Can I join?
+The law allows a return to service. If you’re motivated to fight in a sound team — fill out the form and state your status honestly. Our specialists will advise you individually on legal ways to return. Confidentially.
Do you provide uniform and equipment?
+Yes. The brigade fully provides basic kit, body armor, helmets and weapons. Plus — thanks to a strong volunteer network, we have additional technological support: drones, EW, transport.
Similar positions
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Tell us which role you wantWhat happens after you apply
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01
A call within 24 hours
Your application goes to the recruiting centre and a specialist calls within a day. It is not an interrogation — just an introduction and answers to your questions.
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02
Interview and choosing a role
Together we look at what you can do and where it is most useful. If we are a match, the brigade issues an official request for your transfer.
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03
Enlistment office and medical board — with support
Our liaison helps you get through the enlistment office and the military medical board as fast as possible. You do not navigate the queues alone.
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04
Training first, then the unit
Basic general military training takes 51 days, followed by the brigade’s 14–15 day adaptation course with instructors who have combat experience. We send only prepared soldiers to the front line.