Aviation Week & Space Technology
November 4, 2002
Pg. 35

Military Launches New EW Efforts

By Robert Wall, Nashville, Tenn.

Signs are emerging that the Pentagon's electronic warfare interest is on the rise, with the promise of new money and programs, but exuberance is tempered by the recent disbandment of one of the Defense Dept.'s central EW offices.

In a rare high-level endorsement for electronic warfare, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told an Assn. of Old Crows meeting that EW is "really critical for [Pentagon] transformation." EW is an area "where we need to grow our investment more rapidly," he added, though noting that the Pentagon would not just throw money at the problem, but look for focused investment.

At the same time, the Defense Dept. has moved to apparently de-emphasize EW. The sole organization in the Office of the Secretary of Defense overseeing all EW efforts was recently eliminated, with representatives dispersed among different organizations, a move that has raised eyebrows among industry representatives. Wolfowitz, who was unaware of the organizational change, said it would be a mistake to interpret the move as waning Pentagon interest in the mission.

EW experts expressed frustration that their field lacks recognition and therefore representation at senior levels of the Defense Dept. Even as political leaders themselves have grown increasingly dependent on modern communications, "it seems many of them have not fully grasped the need to control the electromagnetic spectrum," said one senior Navy official. That lack of understanding comes as the EW problem is becoming more complex, with wireless communications exploding, new signal forms being created, and radar suppression continuing to be a problem.

Within the EW community there is an unusual level of activity with several programs about to start. The efforts range from added protection for transport aircraft to the development of an EA-6B replacement.

One of the new efforts is an Air Force push to supply C-130s with high-power radio frequency towed decoys. Suppliers of towed decoys, including Raytheon and BAE Systems, recently delivered proposals to Boeing to add the self-protection device. Boeing is the prime contractor for the Air Force's C-130 Avionics Modernization Program.

The high-power decoy would function the same as fiber-optic towed decoys being developed for fighters and bombers. They are reeled out and dragged behind the aircraft, emitting a self-protection signal to confuse an enemy air defense system. The power boost is needed because a C-130s radar signature is much greater than that of fighters or bombers. Boeing is slated to pick a supplier soon.

The infrared (IR) protection of transport aircraft also is spurring new efforts. The Air Force is preparing to begin the second phase of its large aircraft IR countermeasures system (Laircm) next year. The service is in production with the baseline equipment that uses a laser to protect C-17s and C-130s. Qualification of the Viper laser that is used by Laircm to spoof the seeker on IR-guided missiles is slated for the end of this year, with the first modified aircraft to be delivered next year, said Jack Pledger, Northrop Grumman's director of IR countermeasures business development. The Pentagon initially will modify only 79 aircraft to have a few it can fly into hot spots during a crisis, but eventually would upgrade more of its C-17, C-130 and KC-135 fleet.

Under the second phase the Air Force is likely to launch one of the largest new missile-warning programs. The service wants a device that will be able to detect hostile missile launches at much greater ranges that current ultraviolet devices can. Initially, the service is slated to pick several suppliers to demonstrate technologies, which are expected to range from advanced UV systems, to single- and/or multi-color IR detectors. The latter are favored by many industry representatives because the technology is viewed as having greater range and, with dual color, relatively low false alarm rates.

IN PARALLEL, the service wants a smaller and lower-cost jam head for the laser. The new device should also accommodate eventual upgrade to a closer-loop system, which interrogates the missile to determine its components and the best technique to jam it. Current systems broadcast a more generic jamming code. The Lockheed Martin system has undergone two phases of flight testing and is slated for another round on a C-17 in 2004 with a multi-band laser.

Beyond upgrading Laircm, the special operations community is interested in technology that could disrupt a shoulder-fired missile even before launch. The device would use a relatively low power laser that uses a push-broom scan to search an area around the aircraft. If the laser encounters an electro-optical or IR tracker associated with surface-to-air missile system, it will receive a reflection and alert the on-aircraft countermeasures device, which would then use a laser to disrupt the optics and negate missile launch.

Another research and development effort that is making progress is the development of an airborne communications node that also has a communications intercept and jamming capability. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has told BAE Systems it beat Raytheon in a heated competition for the technology demonstration.

The project, known as the Advanced Joint C 4ISR Node (AJCN), is slated to lead to flight testing in 2005. BAE Systems will build two payloads for Hunter unmanned aircraft and two more for use on C-135 aircraft. The primary mission is communications relay, although it should also be able to serve communications intercept and jamming roles. Company officials hope the demonstration will lead to a development control in 2005 with production starting a year later. The vision for AJCN is to make it the central element in the future communications network by connecting different radios and having scalable boxes for different-sized aircraft, ranging from small UAVs to Boeing 767 tankers and multisensor command and control aircraft.

Another initiative that is on the cusp of a development project is Raytheon's Comet infrared countermeasures pod. The device dispenses a specially treated material that spoofs IR seekers and is invisible to the eye. The Air Force completed flight testing earlier this year on an A-10 and C-130.

The Comet system can dispense countermeasures for up to 30 min. The material is dispensed preemptively using a modulated technique to prevent an IR-guided missile launch, rather than acting reactively like a flare once the missile has been fired. It would work without a missile warning receive, according to Raytheon officials. The planned development program would last about two years and be focused on meeting A-10 needs.

By far the largest looming EW project, however, is the EA-18G, the Navy's preferred candidate to replace the EA-6B. Boeing and Northrop Grumman displayed a mobile simulator here that is touring the country and being used to refine man-machine interfaces and build political support for the effort. Although the Navy is supporting the effort, Rear Adm. John P. Cryer, commander of naval network and space operations warned that "this is by no means a done deal."

The EA-18 would use the ICAP-3 jamming hardware being developed for the EA-6B. Boeing and Northrop Grumman have been undertaking flight testing using an F/A-18F surrogate with the ALQ-99 jamming pods to study the underwing environment. Adjustments have been made to how the pods are carried to deal with some of the loads experienced on the F/A-18F, although engineers aren't certain what the long-term impact on the durability of the pods will be. However, EA-18 advocates said that flight tests have not detected any glaring problems. The project isn't slated to begin seriously until 2004, since money this year will only support studies.

Although the Navy has voiced its interest in the EA-18, there continue to be shortages in the plan. For instance, the service is only planning to buy five aircraft per squadron, when in fact six are needed, according to one program official. Moreover, the long-term ICAP-3 plan funds only about half the required number.

The service also has EA-6B funding hurdles. For instance, Congress has provided money for structural enhancements to the aging aircraft, but the Prowler's engines require work, and no funds have been identified to address those fatigue issues.

The Air Force has promised the Pentagon it will become re-engaged in electronic attack, using a family of systems, including an expendable stand-in jammer and the X-45 unmanned combat aircraft.

However, the service also is mulling converting B-52s into jammers. The aircraft could use the LR-700 receiver suite that is at the heart of the ICAP-3 project, although engineers believe some changes would be required. To carry out the high-power jamming, industry officials are considering the use of an upgraded Spear pod, the high-power communications jamming system that debuted on Compass Call during the Afghanistan campaign. The Pentagon has expressed some reservations about the overall Air Force plan, which is slated to be refined and further developed over the coming weeks.