Outlook 2010 Electronic Warfare Systems Adapt To New Mission Requirements

Mission and threat diversity determine military avionics market

Printed headline: Growing EW Repertoire

The emergence of new tactical aircraft and upgrade of established platforms in the years ahead will be marked by the adoption of new electronic warfare systems critical to their survival and mission capabilities. In the U.S., EW systems will be important to the success of three jet fighter programs—the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), as well as a number of military transports and tactical rotorcraft. Raytheon’s ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver (RWR) and ITT’s ALQ-214 jammer will be produced in steady numbers to match output of the F/A-18E/F, and the next several years will see the systems being retrofitted on F/A-18A/B and C/D Hornets for the U.S. Navy and international operators. The Super Hornet’s BAE Systems ALE-55 fiber-optic towed decoy is also approaching full-rate production. F-35’s stealthy electro-optical targeting system also provides infrared search-and-track capability. Northrop Grumman’s ALQ-218 tactical jamming system receiver and ITT’s ALQ-99 jammer, meanwhile, comprise the EW heart of the EA-18G Growler, which is to replace the Navy’s EA-6B Prowler jamming aircraft by 2012. While the Growler uses the same ALQ-99 pods as the Prowler, the Navy is pursuing the Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ), aiming for initial operational capability in 2018. Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are competing to develop the NGJ, which is expected to provide a network attack capability, among other advancements. The Navy plans to proceed into development and production of a modular, open-architecture jamming system via technology maturation and phases that will result in demonstration of a system-level prototype of the new pod. A conformal version of the NGJ is expected to be carried by the F-35, which promises new EW capabilities as its stealthy design offers inherent self-protection from radar and, if coupled with an advanced electronic-attack system, a significantly increased capability for suppression of enemy air defenses. The F-35’s Northrop Grumman APG-81 active, electronically scanned array radar is likely to be used for standoff jamming. Internationally, demand for EW systems will be lead by sales of the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen fighters. Eurofighter last year began test flights of the Typhoon’s Preatorian defensive-aids suite, produced by the Eurodass consortium comprising Selex Galileo, Elettronica, Indra and EADS. Thales is the prime integrator of the Rafale’s Spectra EW suite and supplies the radio-frequency threat warning and countermeasures subsystems. MBDA manufactures the missile and laser warning sensor and chaff/flare dispensers. Over the next 10 years, Dassault will likely produce 163 Rafale fighters for the French air force and navy, with potential for export sales. Large transport aircraft such as the C-17 and C-130 are more vulnerable than fighters to missile attack, and Northrop Grumman’s AAQ-24 directed infrared countermeasures (Dircm) system will be produced in steady numbers over the next several years. The company’s laser-based Dircm is already installed on more than 450 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, with the recent teaming with Selex to provide the Eclipse micro-pointer/tracker provides access to smaller platforms. The U.S. Army’s new Common Infrared Countermeasures (Circm) program aims to provide AH-64 Apaches, UH-60 Black Hawks and other, smaller helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft with a laser-based missile jamming system. The Pentagon is interested in other military services joining Circm, and the program is a potential option for the U.K., which is running its own competition to equip rotorcraft with lightweight directed infrared jammers. Installed, Circm weighs no more than 120 lb. ITT, Northrop Grumman/Selex and Raytheon/BAE are offering systems using a laser jam-head, while Alliant Techsystems and DRS are exploring distributed-aperture approaches. In the European helicopter market, MBDA produces the Saphir countermeasures dispensing system for the Eurocopter Tiger and NH Industries NH90, while Thales produces the threat warning equipment and EADS the AAR-60 missile warning system. More than 600 NH90s and 189 Tigers are expected to be built into the next decade. The U.S. believes airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) has become indispensable to combat operations. Dedicated manned ISR platforms are expected to emerge in the next decade for the Army’s Aerial Common Sensor and Navy’s EP-X requirements after a joint effort proved infeasible. Additionally, fighters so equipped are increasingly supporting operations in a nontraditional ISR role. Electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) targeting pods have evolved into an ISR tool and the market is contested by several offerings, including the Air Force’s Lockheed Martin Sniper, Navy’s Raytheon Atflir, Rafael/Northrop Grumman Litening and Thales Damocles pods, all providing real-time imagery via data link. The EO hardware market, including targeting pods, missiles and warners, minefield detection systems, infrared countermeasures and night vision systems is expected to grow. Two systems for the F-35 are expected to be procured in large numbers: Lockheed Martin’s EO targeting system for precision air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting, and Northrop Grumman’s distributed aperture system for 360-deg. situational awareness, threat warning and navigation. Sensor information is only useful if communicated in a timely manner. A lack of interoperability between legacy systems, which is key to acquiring and sharing information, is generating demand for flying network servers such as Northrop Grumman’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN). This forward-deployed communications relay and information server provides real-time “translation services” between incompatible radios. Last June, the Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to meet an urgent operational requirement by first installing BACN systems on additional Bombardier Global Express business jets and then on Global Hawk Block 20 unmanned aircraft. Data links constitute a growing market, and the most widely used internationally is the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS). The market for MIDS is shared by ViaSat and Data Link Solutions (a joint venture of BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins) in the U.S. and in Europe by EuroMIDS, whose shareholders include EADS, Indra, Selex and Thales.