From: Beth Fulton <beth.fulton@m...>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 10:02:06 +1000
Subject: [FT] Electronic warfare
G'day guys, Some more ramblings from Derek. Enjoy, berate what ever;) Beth > [quoted text omitted] Electronic warfare, One man's stealth....one man's defeatable electronic counter measure? Here's something I read recently in 'The Navy. The Magazine of the Navy League of Australia' Volume 61 No 4. USN EW Crisis The USN is asking for US$361 million in emergency funds to keep the US military's only EW (Electronic Warfare) jamming aircraft flying. During the rcent operations 'Allied Force' 50 of the USN's 90 EA-6B Prowlers were deployed to the region to provide the NATO operation with EW support. The use of over half the force has strained crews, systems and aircraft maintenance schedules so much that the USN has asked for funds to not only keep the EA-6Bs flying but upgrade a number of training aircraft for operational use. Part of the reason for the extensive use of the EA-6B was the realisation that Russian electronics engineers had provided upgrades to the Serbs which allowed them to see and, in one case shoot down stealth aircraft. After the loss of a F-117A which Pentagon Officals unoffically credit to a modified SA-3 SAM system, every stealth mission required EW support from the EA-6B fleet, one aircraft usually but sometimes two for a B-2 mission. .....The article continues on options the USN is following up to redress this problem, but the point is already made so I won't bore you with the rest. But how does this relate to Full Thrust? Well I notice that Noam(?) has house rules for a stealth system that reduces the effective weapons and detection range of oppossing ships. Well just imagine the faces of the New Isreali Navy ship captains when they find out the the Islamic Federation has just received upgrades to their sensor and fire control systems installed by engineers from the ESU, stealth, what stealth?. Derek.