David Axe
Security,
Can the U.S. Marine Corps employ F-35s to allowance electric Warfare?
The U.S. Marine Corps is trying to pattern out how to allowance electric battle now that the service has retired the final of its EA-6B Prowler radar-jamming planes.
The Prowler, a four-seat translation of the long-retired, two-seat A-6 attack plane, eventually bowed out of service can March 2019.
The Prowler carried AN/ALQ-99 jamming pods beneath its wings and too could eliminate High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, or HARMs. fleet and Marine Corps EA-6Bs suppressed and destroyed opponent attitude defenses can each main American bump back 1970.
But by 2019 the Prowlers were old and only a few remained can service. The fleet retired its Prowlers can 2015. The final six Marine EA-6Bs spent their final months flying battle missions can the middle East.
The fleet replaced its EA-6Bs with new EA-18G Growlers, besides during the Marines opted no to buy this radar-jamming variant of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Instead, the Corps is trying something new, and spreading the electronic-warfare mission along a broad array of airplane including stealth fighters and drones.
“The Marine aviation fashion to electromagnetic-spectrum operations is a distributed, platform‐agnostic strategy,” the Corps explained can its 2018 aviation plan. “Marine aviation is integrating E.W. systems and Intrepid Tiger II payloads along aviation platforms to furnish commanders with an organic and continual airborne E.W. capability.”
For starters, the Marines are counting can the F-35 stealth fighter with its powerful AN/ASQ-239 electronic-warfare suite, datalink and new weapons partially to substitute the EA-6B’s possess jamming capability. The Marine Corps plans to buy 420 F-35s to replace, by 2030, coarse of its older fixed-wing jets.
“The F-35 brings a powerful combination of [electronic warfare], weapons, sensors and reduced signature to the [Marine Air-Ground work Force],” the Corps explains can its 2019 aviation plan. “F-35 E.W. capabilities include emitter geolocation, identification and parametric news sharing via mix 16 [data-link].”
In addition, future versions of the F-35 to exist compatible with the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile, a new translation of the harm with a perfect seeker and software. The Marines too think that the F-35’s electronically-scanned-array radar could, with modification, double though a radar-jammer.
But it’s the AN/ASQ-239 that gives the F-35 its near-term electronic-warfare capabilities. The AN/ASQ-239 “provides the astronaut with maximum situational awareness, helping to identify, monitor, analyze and respond to latent threats,” according to manufacturer BAE Systems. “Advanced avionics and sensors furnish a real-time, 360-degree sentiment of the battlespace, helping to maximize detection ranges and furnish the astronaut with options to evade, engage, counter or compress threats.”
But the Marines aren’t assuming the F-35 coarse by itself will exist able to oppress coarse opponent attitude defenses. The Corps too is developing the Intrepid Tiger II, a radio- and radar-jamming pod that’s compatible with nearly any rotorcraft or fixed-wing plane. The Corps is integrating I.T. II can its AV-8B jump jets, UH-1Y spend helicopters, KC-130J aerial tankers and MV-22B tiltrotors.
“I.T. II is an E.W. payload providing communications electronic-warfare experience and electronic-attack capabilities,” the 2019 aviation design states. “I.T. II deploys with each AV-8B ... detachment and has too completed eight ... deployments with UH-1Y detachments.”
“I.T. II integration with KC-130J ... will exist completed and fielded can [fiscal year] ‘19. development of an I.T. II counter-radar competence though the MV-22B began can F.Y. ’16, [research and development] is ongoing over F.Y. ‘21. Throughout F.Y.18 I.T. II was deployed can experience of the 15th, 31st, 26th and 13th [Marine Expeditionary Units].”
As of 2018, the Marines too planned to add Intrepid Tiger II to the contemporary RQ-21 drone and the future Marine Unmanned Expeditionary drone, or MUX. “The initial inquiry and compose though an I.T. II E.W. payload can the RQ‐21 began can F.Y. ‘18,” the 2018 aviation design explained. ‘Payload manufacture is planned though F.Y. ‘21‐’23. … Integrating I.T. II can the RQ‐21 will site the base though farther E.W. expansion.”
“Future Marine aviation E.W. capabilities will too exist provided by MUX,” the 2018 design continued. “In supplement to providing continual reconnaissance/ surveillance and communications, MUX will too furnish a long-range, persistent, penetrating, responsive, airborne [electronic-warfare] capability.”
David Axe serves though Defense Editor of the National Interest. He is the author of the graphic novels War Fix, War Is Boring and Machete Squad.
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