[FT] Electronic warfare

G'day guys,

Some more ramblings from Derek.

Enjoy, berate what ever ;)

Beth

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Electronic warfare, One man's stealth....one man's defeatable electronic
counter measure?

Here's something I read recently in 'The Navy. The Magazine of the Navy
League of Australia' Volume 61 No 4.

USN EW Crisis

The USN is asking for US$361 million in emergency funds to keep the US
military's only EW (Electronic Warfare) jamming aircraft flying.

During the rcent operations 'Allied Force' 50 of the USN's 90 EA-6B
Prowlers were deployed to the region to provide the NATO operation with
EW
support. The use of over half the force has strained crews, systems and
aircraft maintenance schedules so much that the USN has asked for funds
to
not only keep the EA-6Bs flying but upgrade a number of training
aircraft
for operational use.

Part of the reason for the extensive use of the EA-6B was the
realisation
that Russian electronics engineers had provided upgrades to the Serbs
which
allowed them to see and, in one case shoot down stealth aircraft. After
the
loss of a F-117A which Pentagon Officals unoffically credit to a
modified
SA-3 SAM system, every stealth mission required EW support from the
EA-6B
fleet, one aircraft usually but sometimes two for a B-2 mission.

.....The article continues on options the USN is following up to redress
this problem, but the point is already made so I won't bore you with the
rest. But how does this relate to Full Thrust? Well I notice that
Noam(?)
has house rules for a stealth system that reduces the effective weapons
and
detection range of oppossing ships.

Well just imagine the faces of the New Isreali Navy ship captains when
they
find out the the Islamic Federation has just received upgrades to their
sensor and fire control systems installed by engineers from the ESU,
stealth, what stealth?.

Derek.

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Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART 
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax (03) 6232 5199 International +61 3 6232 5199

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au