USMC looks at 'plug-and-play' electronic alternatives
The US Marine Corps is looking to raise the electronic attack capability of its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, but will not build a dedicated "EA-35" jamming version, says deputy commandant for aviation Lt Gen John Castellaw.
Just last year, the JSF team was studying an EA-35 variant, but Castellaw now says: "We are moving away from dedicated platforms. We get a designed-in [electronic attack] capability with the AESA [active electronically scanned array radar], and there are other opportunities we will be pursuing." These include plug-and-play pods and components that could be put on the basic aircraft, he says. "We are looking at it now."
JSF joint programme office deputy director Brig David Heinz says the initial Block 3 F-35 will include low- and high-band receivers and the ability for the AESA to put a "very focused high-energy beam" on a target for jamming or spoofing. Electronic attack enhancements are being studied for Block 4 and later versions, and could include expanding the AESA's jamming ability beyond X-band frequencies, says Heinz. "AESA is limited X-band only in the near term."
Castellaw says the USMC is looking at electronic attack capabilities beyond strike support. "There are particular capabilities we want to develop" to support ground operations, he says, an apparent reference to the current use of Northrop Grumman EA-6Bs to defeat improvised explosive devices by jamming cellphones used to trigger the bombs.
The Marine Corps wants an expanded electronic attack capability in the F-35 by the time it retires its EA-6Bs in fiscal year 2015. "We are trying to scope it out now, but I cannot tell you what the timeline will be," says Castellaw. The USMC plans to buy 420 short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs.
Source: Flight International
