Spectrum contest: RAAF boosts electronic warfare capabilities

Transcription

1 Spectrum contest: RAAF boosts electronic warfare capabilities Jane's Defence Industry As the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) begins to beef up its capabilities in the electronic warfare spectrum, Charles Forrester takes a look at how the force has evolved its capabilities to include a new tactical capability An electronic warfare (EW) evolution has been in progress for some years within the RAAF, with the force currently in the process of receiving its new force of Boeing E/A-18G Growler aircraft to build out its offensive capabilities in the electronic domain. Electronic warfare was not something the RAAF focused on, RAAF Group Captain Timothy Churchill, director of the Growler Transition Office, told Jane's, adding that "signals intelligence (SIGINT) was something that was done by the strategic [intelligence] agencies". However, the RAAF now stands to become one of the most advanced and capable airborne EW operators in the region, as the country now fields the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, with Growler and other manned and unmanned systems set to come online in the near future. The real catalyst for progress in the realm of EW can be seen through the threat environment as presented in the 2016 Defence White Paper (DWP), Wing Commander Ian Martin, deputy director airborne early warning and control, said. "In a review of the threat environment across the broader region for Australia, we looked at the diffusion of technologies throughout the region and really asked, 'how do we maintain the qualitative edge we've traditionally enjoyed?'". As part of this examination of the threat environment, the DWP addressed a rising technological capability throughout the spheres of Australia's strategic interests. In particular, the paper noted that Asian defence spending was increasing as part of modernisation efforts to include advanced systems. While these modernisation efforts are not directed at Australia, according to the paper, the "defence capability edge we have enjoyed in the wider region will significantly diminish". The ability to maintain superior forces is expected to be challenged to 2035 and beyond. The starting blocks The RAAF's procurement of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter spurred wider planning of providing a more joined-up force, with the wider issues of block obsolescence surrounding aircraft in the RAAF inventory at the turn of the century driving an examination of the procurement of new supporting platforms. As a result, the Australian government had begun to look at ways of modernising the force's platforms and capabilities, as well as its role in the wider Australian Defence Force (ADF) in a more intelligent battlespace. Page 1 of 6

2 "In getting many new platforms, the idea was to make sure that all these new platforms were integrated. In fact, the vision is that the air force becomes an integrating air force; that is, integrating the whole of the ADF," Churchill said. The RAAF F-35 procurement served as the starting blocks for the wider integration of the ADF's capabilities. (Lockheed Martin) In 2015, the RAAF launched a development project known as 'Plan Jericho' to develop the force's network capabilities, particularly with the incoming arrival into service of the F-35. According to the principles of the plan, the programme is to deliver a more "balanced, potent, and integrated air force" that is focused on improving the country's air and space power capability, as well as providing a design framework for the future force. As part of the programme of work developed, 15 projects covering a range of air force operations - including base defence and cyber - were developed, with improved interoperability and information sharing a key component of the plan. These included the creation of improved contribution to the Common Operating Picture, with the development of doctrine and tactics, techniques, and procedures for synchronising ISR and EW assets, as well as real-time data sharing. Similarly, the development of an ability to share "weapons quality sensor data across airborne, surface, and land platforms" across the joint force was to be developed. Seeing the bigger picture The wide open spaces and equally open approaches to Australia's north are a key point in Australia's strategic world view. As a result, the Australian government and ADF have sought to enhance and expand its remote monitoring capabilities. Most notably, this has seen the development and deployment of the Jindalee Over-the-horizon Radar Network (JORN), as well as continued development of airborne surveillance assets such as the Wedgetail, following its achievement of full operational capability in Page 2 of 6

3 Australia operates six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft. (Boeing) Based on a Boeing 737, the E-7A Wedgetail features an ESSD L-band multirole electronically scanned array (MESA) radar mounted above rear fuselage ('top hat' configuration) providing 360 coverage from stationary antenna 10.8 m long. Operating modes include acute long-range or broad short-range scanning and track-while-scan, with the aircraft also capable of undertaking maritime support missions such as over-the-horizon targeting for surface combatant vessels. The maximum detection range of the radar exceeds 174 n miles (322 km; 200 miles) for fighter targets and 130 n miles (241 km; 150 miles) for patrol boat-sized surface contacts. The first Australian aircraft was rolled out of Boeing's Seattle facility in 2002, but not delivered to the RAAF until November 2009, with the remaining aircraft being delivered in 2010 and "The primary focus of Wedgetail will be that it acts as that central node within air force to enable to distribution of information among the air fleet," Martin said. The aircraft is currently deployed on operations in the Middle East on Operation 'Okra'. According to Martin, a key take-away from the operation has been how capable the aircraft is. For example, the RAAF has been given one airborne control mission line that has been achieved by a single aircraft, while US forces have had to deploy six Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft to undertake the same mission on two lines. A Wedgetail holds the record for the longest Boeing 737 flight, at 17 hours. Page 3 of 6

4 "One of the key things is that we have also been able to reduce the maintenance rate of effort, and the size of the fleet required to undertake an AEW [airborne early warning] capability," said Martin. According to Martin, future plans for the aircraft are aimed at boosting the capabilities of the systems and their position in the new improved information environment. "We want to evolve the operating concepts, the support operations, and sustainment concepts, and really get Wedgetail to operate as part of that integrated air force system that Plan Jericho is hoping to achieve. We want the jets to be more agile; something that has extended reach, hits harder, gathers more information, and distributes that information more quickly than ever before," he said. The current Phase 5A upgrades on the Wedgetail focus on the aircraft's ability to communicate with aircraft operated by other countries, particularly when undertaking coalition operations. A rising growl As part of this threat assessment of the strategic environment, Churchill noted, the electromagnetic spectrum is "becoming more congested, more contested, and more dynamic. That's then a key enabler to a whole bunch of other operations, and we've identified that and made investments accordingly." RAAF FltLt Todd Woody Woodford launches an AGM-88 HARM while on exchange with the US Navy's VAQ-135 Electronic Attack Squadron. (RAAF/Todd Woodford) The Australian government first committed to acquiring the Boeing E/A-18G Growler through the 2013 DWP. The move followed a debate over potentially acquiring the aircraft that had gone back to 2008, when the Australian government first announced that it would be acquiring the Boeing Page 4 of 6

5 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet fighter aircraft to act as a bridging capability between the retirement of the General Dynamics F-111 and the entry into service of the F-35 JSF. In 2009 the Australian Department of Defence announced that 12 of the F/A-18F Super Hornets being purchased as a bridging air combat capability were to be pre-wired for a potential Growler configuration while on the production line. The aircraft were an off-the-shelf purchase that allowed the fleet benefits relating to life cycle and sustainment costs due to economies of scale. In March 2012 Australia submitted a non-binding letter of request to the US Government for the acquisition of the EA-18G Growler capability through modification of the 12 Australian F/A-18F Super Hornets that had been pre-wired during production. Second pass approval for this acquisition was given by the Australian government in August 2012 and a foreign military sales case was signed. In May 2013 the government announced the acquisition of 12 newbuild EA-18G aircraft to provide the Growler capability and subsequent Second Pass approval was approved in December While the Super Hornet and Growler have separate designations, the Growler aircraft being procured by the RAAF have the same airframe, but a number of major differences to the equipment carried. For example, the gun is removed from the Growler aircraft to allow for the insertion of electronic attack avionics, and the AN/ALR-67 threat warning and countermeasure control system is also removed. The RAAF Growlers share the same configuration as the USN Block II aircraft, complete with the APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Jamming capabilities will be provided through a set of ALQ-99 jammer pods. The weapons fit will include AGM-88B and AGM-88E anti-radiation missiles. At present, the aircraft are not equipped with the AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting FLIR (ATFLIR), but the Australian government is pursuing clearance for the possible procurement of the system from the US. The acquisition also represented a major shift in policy for the US, which had previously held such tactical offensive EW systems as a non-exportable. However, the closeness of the political and military relationship between Australia and the US has meant that the two countries have now shared that most treasured capability. "I would regard the relationship [between Australia and the US] as a strategic partnership. Australia couldn't do this without the help of the US government and in particular the US Navy," Churchill said. Since the announcement of the procurement, the two countries have worked very closely, with six aircrews having been trained and deployed operationally with USN Growler expeditionary squadrons at the end of Joining the jet-set Prior to the release of the DWP in 2016, the US government announced in December 2015 that it had signed a contract with US firm L-3 Communications (now L3 Technologies) to modify two Gulfstream G550 aircraft as a foreign military sale (FMS) deal reported by Australian media to be worth USD133 million. Page 5 of 6

6 L-3 Mission Integration is to procure and maintain for Australia a pair of G550 business jets that are to be converted into special mission platforms. (IHS Markit/Patrick Allen) However, Australian officials remain tight-lipped over what capabilities the aircraft will have, with a defence spokesperson telling Jane's that the aircraft will "provide situational awareness to Joint Force Commanders at strategic, operational, and tactical levels in all domains". Previous statements on the procurement have added that the aircraft will possess "airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare capability to support [Australian Defence Force] operations", and that the aircraft would be based at RAAF Edinburgh in South Australia: home to a number of electronic mission aircraft in the RAAF inventory at the present and in the future, such as the Lockheed Martin AP-3C Orion, Boeing P-8A Poseidon, and Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton. While the spokesperson declined to comment on contract timings, the US government contract notification said that the work was expected to be completed by the end of November this year. The Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) noted that up to five G550 aircraft are to be obtained in total from the early 2020s, which will "substantially enhance electronic warfare support to naval, air, and land forces for operations in electromagnetic environments manipulated by hostile forces". The aircraft are to be acquired in two tranches, and incrementally upgraded to maintain interoperability with US-developed systems. IHS Jane's Defence Industry For the full version and more content: SUBSCRIBE TO IHS JANE'S DEFENCE INDUSTRY FOR ACCESS TO THE LATEST NEWS, ANALYSIS AND DATA For advertising solutions contact the IHS Jane s Advertising team Page 6 of 6