The US Navy casts its Shadow over Bosnia.
Tim Ripley/USSAMERICA, ADRIATIC
FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS, US aircraft carriers have benefited from the unique services of the US Navy's 16 Lockheed Martin ES-3A Shadows to monitor hostile radar emissions and other electronic threats. The pressure of almost constant involvement in humanitarian and peace keeping missions in the Balkans and Middle East, however, is putting a heavy strain on the limited number of Shadows.
HEAVY USAGE
"The Navy is looking to operate the aircraft until around 2007-10, but if they continue using them like they are now, they will not last long," says a senior member of the Shadow community. "It was not envisaged that they would be used with this intensity. They are doing a lot more 'cats' and 'traps' [carrier landing and takeoffs] than we thought they would. The S-3 Viking line is closed down, so we can't build new ones, but there are some in the desert and I would like some of them turned into Shadows."
The ES-3A version of the USN's Viking anti-submarine-warfare aircraft has been modified to "...go out and monitor the electromagnetic spectrum", says Lt Cdr John Kuehn, commander of the Shadow detachment on the USS America. He explains that the Shadows are fitted with receivers which make each one 1,350kg heavier than a regular S-3. "There are also 'buddy stores' [refueling pods] to allow us to carry out airborne refueling - we offer a one-stop service," he says.
The first Shadows went to sea with Pacific Fleet carriers in December 1991, when fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron -5 was established at Agana Naval Air Station on Guan. The Atlantic Fleet electronic-surveillance requirements are met by the VQ-6 Sqn based at Cecil Field Naval Air Station, Florida. Two-aircraft strong detachments are regularly on board carriers deployed in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Far East.
"The shore-based Lockheed Martin EP-3 can't do 'from-the-sea' missions [the current US Navy doctrine] because there may not be a shore base nearby," says Kuehn, of VQ-6. "With Shadows, the carrier-battle group commander has complete control over his communications and intelligence-warfare assets."
During NATO's Operation Deliberate Force air strikes against the Bosnian Serbs in September 1995, the Shadow was deployed in combat for the first time. "We supported the suppression-of-enemy-air-defence effort passively, passing on what we were seeing," says Kuehn. "We were able to tell if a radar was up or down. Detecting when it goes down is a big part of what we do," he adds.
MISSION SPECIALISTS
Although, the exact configuration of the Shadow's mission equipment is highly classified, Kuehn explains, how the aircraft crew operates. "There are four positions in the aircraft for naval flight officers [NFOs]. One NFO sits in the right seat, and he is the electronic-warfare combat co-ordinator. He runs the mission. The Shadow pilots go through almost the same training as the NFOs, but not deeply into technical aspects. The electronic-warfare operator [EWOP] is from our squadron, but he also works on the aircraft avionics, trouble-shooting in flight, or fixing the equipment on the ground. Finally, there is a mission specialist [Miss Spec], who comes from an outside agency. We can carry two Miss Specs or EWOPs, but normally we just fly with one of each."
The ES-3A programme has provided the US Navy with a long-awaited replacement for its vintage Douglas EA-3B Sky warriors in the carrier-borne electronic-surveillance role, but it is becoming clear that the time is rapidly approaching where thought needs to be given to the follow-on for the elusive Shadow.
Source: Flight International
