If the US Department of Defense's recently completed Joint Airborne Service Electronic Attack analysis of alternatives (AOA) has come up with one definitive conclusion it is that there is no single solution to replacing the EA-6B that satisfies the needs of all. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) now has a series of options and sub-options to mull over, while trying to address the individual demands of the US Navy, US Air Force and US Marine Corps.
While some may be disappointed that the study did not bring more clarity to the issue, it is worth remembering that when the USN-led AOA started its deliberations in March of last year, it had 23 distinct solutions to consider. These have been narrowed down to a handful of options, each with a range of different connotations. While most media reports have focused on the different platform options considered by the AOA, the real driver behind the requirement is the electronic warfare (EW) system.
"The system is the key. When you get down to what is needed in terms of capability, power and receiver aperture etc, the platform is largely irrelevant. If it fits on an EA-6B it will certainly fit on similar-size fighter aircraft or even a business jet. There is really one set of parameters for the system, and we then have to decide how to combine it to make it bigger or break it down to distribute it," says a DoD official.
The AOA baselined its EW capability study on the improved ICAP III system in development for the EA-6B, including how the system might be further enhanced or even replaced in the future. The study identified around a dozen different platforms that could play host to the system, including existing fighters such as the BoeingF-15E, F/A-18F and Lockheed Martin F-16C/D, as well as new developments like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22.
Each platform was examined not just in terms of the development or production costs, but life costs over a 30 year period. This calculation had also to take into consideration mission profiles and the fact that while a subsonic airframe might last 30 years based on current use, the average life of a high-performance fighter is much less and that additional aircraft will be required to offset this, pushing up total costs. None of the platforms, however, offers a complete panacea.
The EA-18 has strong appeal for a USN wanting to leverage Super Hornet commonality, but would add an additional type to USAF and USMC inventories. Boeing is hedging its bets by proposing an airborne electronic- attack version of the F-15C/E, equipped with the ICAP III repackaged into a large centreline pod.
The EF-22 is another possibility, incorporating a palletised EW pack installed in the Raptor's internal weapons bay, but it is not without its critics - "Its an oxymoron to spend $145 million on a low observable fighter and then light it up with RF emissions," says an industry source,
USMC interest focuses on JSF, but with the first aircraft not scheduled to reach initial operational capability before 2010 it could be 2017 before an EW version can be fielded, says industry. Even then its unlikely to be a short take-off and vertical landing aircraft, with a second seat and EW equipment occupying the lift-fan bay.
Another scenario has the USN switching to the carrier-borne EA-18, and the USMC soldiering on alone with a smaller EA-6B fleet until relieved by an EF-35.
Outsize aircraft studied include an EW version of a Boeing or Airbus widebody jet or conversion of some of the USAF's surplus Boeing B-52 or B-1 bombers. At the other end of the spectrum are a number of unmanned air vehicle options, like Global Hawk and Predator, or unmanned combat air vehicles being developed by Boeing and Northrop Grumman for separate USAF and USN demonstrations. The only new design among the 23 different options was an even larger unmanned vehicle carrying a 2.7t payload.
The latter category could form part of a distributed architecture, with the receiver mounted on a separate platform from the transmitter and using Link 16 to transmit locator and frequency data to the jammer system. UAVs and even the expendable Miniature Air Launched Decoy's carrying transmitters are viewed as a low-cost supplement to manned aircraft, but there remain questions about ensuring the fidelity and security of a datalink.
The challenge now is for the OSD to act on the AOA and put money into replacing the EA-6B by 2010.
Source: Flight International
