Zitat

The VRS F/A-18E Superbug is in the final stages of development and will be coming soon to one of our retail partners.

Zitat

Original von FalconBen
Moin

Zitat

Wo wird den die Box verkauft?Weiss das jemand??

Diese F-18 ist noch nicht erschienen

Zitat

It is increasingly difficult to protect military fighter and transport aircraft against radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. Deception transmitters on board the aircraft are at their limits, especially when deceiving modern monopulse radars. But the missiles wouldn't have to be misguided by much. A distance of maybe 100 meters would already be sufficient to render the missile's proximity fuse harmless and to even survive an explosion of the warhead.

This effect is supposed to be achieved with small decoys that are towed on a cable behind the aircraft if needed. Their transmissions present a much more attractive target to approaching missiles. The idea, which looks simple at first glance, has been pursued since the eighties. However, only most recently does a broad application of such systems look probable.

As usual, the work is most advanced in the USA. Raytheon E-Systems has begun with the production of the ALE-50 system. Its development began in 1987 as the so called "Advanced Airborne Expandable Decoy" under a contract with the US Naval Air Systems Command. Meanwhile, the US Air Force has become the main customer for the system: 437 Lockheed Martin F-16 and 95 Boeing (Rockwell) B-1B are scheduled to be equipped with ALE-50, requiring at least 17306 of the decoys, costing $493 million.

When used on the F-16, the aircraft carries two dispensers with two decoys each on under-wing pylons. The B-1B carries two magazines with four decoys each on the side of the aft fuselage. This large aircraft would tow two decoys at the same time in order to generate enough deception power.

As a first-generation equipment, the ALE-50 only has one operating mode: to reflect and strengthen the hostile radar's signals, such hiding the real aircraft's radar return. As a result, the missile is guided at the decoy which is towed at a safe distance.

Newer generation decoys are already much more intelligent. They use threat libraries which allow for the identification of the radar signals received by the aircraft's radar warning receivers. A so called "Technique Generator" then generates specific deception signals, giving the hostile radar wrong information about the aircraft's real distance or bearing. The signals are transmitted from the aircraft to the towed decoy via glass-fibre cable.

The ALE-55, which is currently under development at Sanders, is such a system. It's part of the US Navy's Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures System (IDECM) and is earmarked for use with the Boeing F-18E/F Super Hornet. First flight tests are scheduled for the end of 1998.

Since the ALE-55 decoy fits in the same dispenser as the ALE-50, the system can later be retrofitted. This is considered for the B-1B. Further applications that are being evaluated are the F-15E and also the U-2, for which decoys with larger fins for hight-altitude operations are under development. The protection of drones with towed decoys is under consideration as well.

While Sanders was successful in the USA with the ALE-55, Raytheon E-Systems has also developed a second-generation decoy, which was selected by British Aerospace in June of 1997 for the Nimrod 2000 maritime patrol aircraft. According to the manufacturer, the system has a much higher output due to its Northrop Grumman micro-wave modules.

In large aircraft, such as the Nimrod, a winch can be installed, allowing the retraction of the decoy before landing. Otherwise, the cable is cut, losing at least $10000 for each decoy deployment.

The selection of the Raytheon decoy for the Nimrod 2000 is surprising since with GEC-Marconi there is a company in Great Britain that belongs to the pioneers in towed decoy development. Already during the Gulf War was equipment from the Ariel family used with the Nimrod. Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force has begun to fit its Panavia Tornado F.3s with the decoys.

The Tornado's Ariel system has a technique generator that works in the H to J-Band. The decoy itself is carried in a Sky Shadow ECM pod. The system can be deployed between 270 km/h and Mach 1.2. After dropping the decoy, it can be retrieved via parachute.

GEC-Marconi is also working on towed decoys for the Eurofighter. Two units are integrated into the EF2000 right wingtip mounted pod. First flight tests in the subsonic speed region were already carried out with prototype DA2. For applications with French aircraft, GEC-Marconi has already signed a contract with Dassault Electronique.

Along with GEC-Marconi, Dasa is another European company that is working in this field. Following years of theoretical studies and simulations, a test model of the Towed Active Decoy was first flight tested on a Learjet in 1995. A smaller and aerodynamically optimized version was tested with a Phantom over the Mojave desert in the USA in 1997. According to the manufacturer, the tests showed "...that the deployment from the aircraft and the characteristics during the tow maneuver fulfilled the expectations even in critical flight attitudes."

The Dasa system has meanwhile accomplished flight tests on a Tornado. At the beginning of October, the system was operationally used for the first time during an ECM exercise over the Nellis test range in Nevada. According to Dasa, the decoy "proved its efficiency as self-defence system in a realistic threat scenario during several flights."

As a result of the development work, Dasa has now presented suggestions to integrate the towed decoy in various aircraft, such as Tornado, Eurofighter, and Transall.

However, the German air force has currently no concrete procurement plans. Possibly, a towed component might supplement the Tornado's TSPJ jamming transmitter during the coming decade. A towed decoy is also projected for use with the Eurofighter. Nevertheless, Dasa will have to continue the work on its own and look for exports until the German defence ministry makes funds available for the procurement of the systems.

Last but not least, CelsiusTech has begun with the development of a towed decoy under contract from the Swedish air force. Reportedly, this will also be an intelligent system which would be integrated into the BOP and BOZ pods used with the Saab Viggen and the JAS 39 Gripen.

All these activities show that towed decoys will supplement the ECM capability of many existing and new fighters. Raytheon sees a worldwide market potential of two to four billion US dollars over the next ten years.