Return-Path: <sentto-279987-2796-1002635302-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.1.0) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Tue, 09 Oct 2001 06:49:07 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 12770 invoked by uid 510); 9 Oct 2001 13:48:18 -0000 Received: from n8.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.58) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 9 Oct 2001 13:48:18 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-2796-1002635302-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.4.53] by n8.groups.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 09 Oct 2001 13:48:20 -0000 X-Sender: fc@big.all.net X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_4_1); 9 Oct 2001 13:48:21 -0000 Received: (qmail 30803 invoked from network); 9 Oct 2001 13:48:19 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.27) by l7.egroups.com with QMQP; 9 Oct 2001 13:48:19 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO big.all.net) (65.0.156.78) by mta2 with SMTP; 9 Oct 2001 13:48:19 -0000 Received: (from fc@localhost) by big.all.net (8.9.3/8.7.3) id GAA22525 for iwar@onelist.com; Tue, 9 Oct 2001 06:48:19 -0700 Message-Id: <200110091348.GAA22525@big.all.net> To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List) Organization: I'm not allowed to say X-Mailer: don't even ask X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL1] From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net> Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 06:48:19 -0700 (PDT) Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] [fc:Electronic.Warfare.Needs.More.Funding,.Forum.Speakers.Say] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Aerospace Daily October 8, 2001 Electronic Warfare Needs More Funding, Forum Speakers Say The U.S. military should spend more money now and in future years on electronic warfare (EW) to keep its aircraft safe from enemy attack, according to speakers at an Oct. 5 Capitol Hill forum sponsored by the Lexington Institute. Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), who co-chairs the congressional Electronic Warfare Working Group, said the U.S. needs to "ramp up" procurement of self-protection countermeasures, such as radio-frequency towed decoys, infrared countermeasures and covert materials decoys, because Taliban forces in Afghanistan are armed with infrared-guided, man-portable surface-to-air missiles. Pitts said large aircraft, such as C-130s, are especially in need of self-protection and would benefit from the Large Aircraft Infra-Red Counter-Measure, which is scheduled to enter low-rate production in fiscal 2002. The Defense Department also needs to do something "immediately" about the lack of adequate missile warning systems for U.S. air forces, he said. Longer term, the EA-6B Prowler - the military's only radar-jamming support aircraft - will need more money to erase a maintenance shortfall, acquire an automatic flight control system, and buy upgrades for its jamming suite and radar, Pitts said. "Unfortunately, this has been the same list for several years," he added. House Armed Services Committee member Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said the EA-6B should be equipped to receive more real-time information updates in its cockpit, and the High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) should be upgraded to make it better at hitting enemy targets. Ray Sweeny, a former Raytheon executive, said the Air Force needs to begin spending at least $30 million to $40 million a year for the next six years to maintain and improve its 1,300 ALQ-131 and ALQ-184 electronic countermeasure pods, which protect A-10s, F-16s and C-130s. The Air Force has budgeted only $5 million a year for that purpose since 1996. ECM spending urged "These vital assets will become $2 billion worth of electronic junk within the next six years unless the Air Force quickly changes its investment strategy," Sweeny said. Sweeny also said that the Marine Corps needs to replace the ALQ-126B and ALQ-162 jammer components on the ALQ-164 radio-frequency jammer pod it uses on its AV-8B Harriers, and that the Navy needs more ALQ-165 jammer systems for F/A-18 aircraft. GPS UAVs? Christopher Bolkcom, an aerospace analyst at the Congressional Research Service, said DOD should consider interim measures to protect the Global Positioning System from jamming until it fields GPS III, a new anti-jamming signal, in 2016. One possibility Bolkcom suggested is placing unmanned aerial vehicles near the battle space to augment the GPS system. Speakers at the forum said it is difficult to get EW funding because the subject is not well understood by many lawmakers. But some of them said they saw reason for hope. The EW working group, for instance, has grown to 26 members since it was formed about two years ago. Some EW upgrades are already underway. For instance, Rear Adm. Evan Chanik, the Navy's head of aviation plans and requirements, said Increased Capability-III (ICAP-III) jammer upgrades are scheduled to achieve initial operational capability on the Prowler by 2005. In addition, DOD is nearing completion of a Navy-led joint study that is examining replacement options for the EA-6B, which is scheduled to begin entering retirement around 2010. The study is scheduled for completion in mid-December. -- Marc Selinger ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Pinpoint the right security solution for your company- Learn how to add 128- bit encryption and to authenticate your web site with VeriSign's FREE guide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/yQix2C/33_CAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:54 PST