Competing with Northrop Grumman to equip B-52s as stand-off jammers, a Boeing/BAE Systems team is stressing its knowledge of the aircraft and a modular system design that can meet the US Air Force’s initial standalone jamming requirement and grow to match its multi-platform “system of systems” electronic-attack vision.
Award of the $3 billion programme is scheduled for mid-October, with initial operational capability of the B-52 Stand Off Jammer (SOJ) planned for 2012. Initially the B-52 will operate standalone, countering integrated air-defence systems to allow ingress and egress of tactical aircraft, but a second increment requires the aircraft to access and control other platforms in the USAF’s planned electronic-attack system of systems, says Larry Cable, BAE’s vice-president information warfare.
BAE is electronic-warfare (EW) system integrator on the Boeing SOJ team. Cable says the proposed modular, scalable suite of podded receivers and jammers – with EW battle-management capability added to the defensive systems operator’s console – will allow the B-52 to operate standalone initially, then later integrate with the electronic-attack system of systems with minimal redesign. Plans call for all the USAF’s B-52s to be provisioned for the SOJ mission in addition to their bombing role. Cable says Boeing brings knowledge of the different aircraft configurations across the fleet, while BAE is designing a system architecture that is processor- and “controlling software”- independent, as well as self-tasking and self-healing, able to reprogramme itself after damage.
GRAHAM WARWICK/WASHINGTON
Source: Flight International
