Electronic warfare role eyed for B-52

Electronic warfare role eyed for B-52

By Glenn W. Goodman Jr.

October 11, 2005

ISRJournal

The Air Force plans a return to the radar-jamming business, which it ceded to Navy and Marine Corps EA-6B Prowlers in 1998, when it retired its EF-111 Raven aircraft.

This month, the service will select an industry lead systems integrator for its B-52 Stand-Off Jammer program, which will assign the venerable B-52H long-range bomber a new role.

The aircraft, the last of which was delivered in 1962, will be fitted with two long outboard wing pods packed with powerful radar-jamming gear designed to disrupt enemy air defenses from beyond their lethal range.

The Air Force will award the lead systems integrator a $236 million, 25-month contract for the pre-system development and demonstration phase of the program. The two main competitors are Northrop Grumman and a Boeing-BAE systems team.

The Air Force plans to modify 16 of the high-altitude bombers to carry 12 two-pod sets, with an initial operational capability in 2014 and an early operational capability desired in 2012, according to Dave Kratz, the B-52 SOJ capture team leader at Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems in Bethpage, N.Y. The 16 B-52Hs and another 60 of the aircraft are slated to receive new electronic support measures equipment for detecting enemy radar emitters.

If funding permits, the service hopes to modify those 60 additional B-52Hs to carry the 30- to 40-foot-long electronic warfare pods. The B-52Hs will retain their full bombing capability.

The B-52 SOJ will be part of a new and expanded family of airborne electronic attack systems, jointly planned by the Air Force and Navy, planned for rollout around 2015 to meet all the services’ needs.

The Air Force, with the B-52 SOJ, will take the lead in the standoff jamming area. Its 14 EC-130H Compass Call aircraft will be upgraded to perform some radar jamming from standoff ranges but primarily will continue to jam enemy voice and data communications.

Navy Prowlers will perform escort jamming, accompanying packages of strike aircraft, until they are all retired by 2014. They will be replaced in the escort jamming role by 90 EA-18Gs — modified two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters.

Two systems will handle so-called “stand-in” jamming — in close proximity to enemy air defense radars.

The first will be the air-launched, missilelike Miniature Air-Launched Decoy Jammer developed by Raytheon, which could be launched by a B-52H or a fighter aircraft.

The second planned close-in, penetrating jamming platform will be a stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle outfitted with a radar jammer in addition to its weapons load.

Glenn W. Goodman Jr. is the editor of C4ISR magazine.