Aviation Week & Space Technology
October 13, 2003
Pg. 52

Jammer Quandary

Navy targets advances in self-protection, but electronic attack concerns dominate

By Robert Wall, Dayton, Ohio

The U.S. Navy's meticulous road map for transitioning to the EA-18G "Growler" from the EA-6B later this decade may be in trouble, with signs emerging that the Pentagon will face a shortage of available support-jamming aircraft.

Heavy use of the current fleet of EA-6Bs and higher than anticipated attrition in recent years could mean the inventory of Prowlers will drop too quickly before the replacement EA-18 can be fielded. EA-6B shortfalls already have forced the Pentagon to field only four expeditionary squadrons, rather than five as once hoped. The strain was exacerbated late last month, when the Navy had to take 19 EA-6Bs out of active service because of structural problems.

Although the situation has not yet reached a "crisis" level, strategies are being devised to bridge any operational shortfalls. The ideas are still embryonic, but they might force the Navy to upgrade some two-seat F/A-18Fs to provide a limited jamming capability before 2009, when the EA-18G jammer is fielded, according to program officials. Developers are trying to avoid a situation in which they would have to speed work on critical EA-18G hardware and software, because such efforts could add risk and derail the core effort.

Meanwhile, Navy and Boeing officials are preparing for a major EA-18G project review in November, with the goal of getting a green light to initiate the system development and demonstration phase late this year, according to Paul Summers, Boeing's EA-18 manager. A requirement document to support the program is now being reviewed at the Pentagon. The Navy plans to buy about 90 EA-18s, although the exact number will depend on what paths the Marine Corps and Air Force pursue for their jamming needs.

Boeing expects to submit its proposal to the Navy before the end of this month, with the formal start of the $1.5-billion development effort slated for December unless the Pentagon objects. During the development phase, two F/A-18Fs would be modified and equipped with the electronic attack system; other -18Fs would be used for envelope expansion. The first EA-18 development aircraft is to fly in September 2006.

For cost and risk control, the Navy has opted to defer some capabilities to a later enhancement. For instance, a new communications jamming system will trail the core project by more than a year. Similarly, the service has opted not to integrate some of the Pentagon's more modern missiles, such as the Joint Standoff Weapon and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, until later.

On the other hand, service officials are considering including the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile in the initial delivery; the multimode seeker should allow anti-radar missiles to strike their targets even when they've stopped emitting. Already part of the baseline configuration are the ALQ-218 with a digital auxiliary receiver and a new communications receiver. The existing low-band jammer will serve as an interim communications-thwarting device. The F/A-18E/Fs Multifunction Information Distribution System Link-16 data link also will be enhanced with six message structures to share relevant electronic attack data with other aircraft.

Although the development of the communications jammer, which will replace the EA-6B's USQ-113, is being delayed, Northrop Grumman will select the supplier before year-end. Northrop Grumman is teamed with Boeing on the EA-18 and overseeing the development of the EW system. The new communications jammer is intended to overcome parts-obsolescence problems with the USQ-113. It would also be smaller and lower cost than the existing hardware. The ability to jam several new waveforms may also be included.

Navy officials also are trying to determine what impact the electronic attack modifications will have on the baseline F/A-18E/F. General Electric, for example, is being asked to gauge the impact on the strike fighter's F414 engines.

However, the key near-term challenge is keeping the EA-6B flying. For several years, the Navy has been upgrading the aircraft's center wing stations to give them more life; 60 kits have already been delivered. But usage rates are outpacing the speed with which the aircraft can be upgraded, and this could result in a potential aircraft shortage unless near-term funds are made available to accelerate some of the enhancements. With the requisite funding, the shortcoming could be fixed within two years, according to Northrop Grumman.

The Navy also is investigating a digital flight control system upgrade, similar to that performed on F-14s. The EA-6B's flight control system would be a derivative of BAE Systems' ASW-59 used on the F-14 and designated the ASW-59A. The Navy is buying several test articles to be delivered by April 2004. Options exist for two flight test units to be delivered by next October, and more by July 2005.

ONE OF THE CONCERNS for Pentagon officials is that the EA-18G may overshadow the need to fund the EA-6Bs and keep them flying through at least 2015. Funding to upgrade the veteran jammer has already been curtailed in recent budget drills, a program official noted.

EA-6B personnel earlier this year completed the operational assessment and carrier suitability trials of the Improved Capability ICAP-3, the latest upgrade to the EW suite. ICAP-3 also serves as the baseline for the EA-18G. Two EA-6B development aircraft have accumulated about 300 test hours. But hurdles remain, with development and operational testing ahead in coming months.

A full-rate production decision is slated for late next year, and deliveries should follow two years later. The first low-rate production aircraft should be delivered in January 2005, with the system to be formally ready for service soon after.

While much of the Navy's focus is on support jamming, several self-protection initiatives also are brewing. With congressional largesse, for example, the service hopes to jump-start a podded laser-based infrared countermeasures (IRCM) project to defend fighters. Tadircm, the tactical directed infrared countermeasures system, is slated to receive Navy funding in Fiscal 2006 to fully support the effort, although budget deliberations are still ongoing.

A prototype Tadircm system has been in testing for the past several years and deflected 40 missiles in 40 trials, Capt. Dwight L. Cousins, program manager for Navy aircraft EW systems, told an Assn. of Old Crows symposium here. Tadircm would feature a multiband modulated laser that could handle salvo missile shots.

THE NAVY ENVISIONS an early operational version to be fielded in 2009, which would provide protection against surface-to-air missiles. The full operational capability would follow two years later and also provide protection against IR-guided air-to-air missiles, Cousins said. The early version is expected to be 15 in. in diameter and weigh about 600 lb.; the later configuration would be 11.5 in. in diameter, weigh 500 lb. and have a smaller missile warning system. One of the problems with which the Navy is still wrestling is power supply for the hardware so it can fit it in a pod that's small enough for supersonic operations.

The missile warning system is expected to be a two-color version. The Navy has an early design that uses a filter wheel, but the device is not considered carrier-suitable because it would not withstand the high loads during takeoff and landing. Instead, the service wants to move to a two-color system using stacked arrays, which eliminate the need for a filter wheel.

Navy officials also are slowly embracing the idea of buying laser IRCM devices for helicopters, following the Army's lead. Funding has yet to be allocated for such an effort, Cousins noted. The Navy would consider using the Advanced Threat IRCM device that BAE developed for the Army. Fielding that EW system should be relatively quick and cheaper than a new development, he added.

Moreover, the Navy later this year hopes to start full-rate production of its Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (Idecm) suite for the F/A-18E/F. The ALQ-214 techniques generator recently completed operational testing. The fiber-optic towed decoy is slated for operational tests in 2006. Other platforms that could receive the device include the P-3 and the F/A-18C/D, according to an industry representative.

Cousins indicated the service is still digesting lessons from the recent conflicts. For example, believing such a tool was no longer needed, the Navy contemplated a funding cut for the ALE-43, which lays corridor chaff to mask more than just the dispensing aircraft. But during the Iraq campaign, corridor chaff was used to protect transports operating without countermeasures. As a consequence, the Navy has reversed its position, Cousins said, and wants to keep the device used on EA-6Bs.