Page 53 - Australian Defence Magazine February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
ELECTRONIC WARFARE 53
veillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) umbrella and is what is commonly known as Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). SI- GINT is itself further divided into ELINT (Electronic In- telligence) and COMINT (Communications Intelligence) and as their names suggest, concerns intelligence derived from collecting and classifying electronic and communica- tions signals in the EM spectrum from adversaries.
EW IN THE AIR DOMAIN
Australia is no different in this regard, with significant in- vestments in systems and platforms related to the EM spec- trum. The most visible of these are arguably in the air do- main, where the RAAF has introduced the Boeing EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack aircraft into service and is set to introduce the Gulfstream MC-55A Peregrine EW platform.
The latter will replace a pair of AP-3C(EW) Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (IS- REW) aircraft. The Growlers and Peregrines will be at the forefront of the RAAF’s EW capabilities given that is their dedicated mission set, but many of the other airborne plat- forms will have their own EW capabilities.
These include the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing P-8A Poseidon, and even unmanned assets like the General Atomics MQ-9B Sky Guardian and Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton, all of whom have their own built-in EW capabilities ranging from self-protection to the ability to perform SIGINT collection.
These capabilities can potentially come in useful as force
multipliers in a broader regional context as Australia forges closer defence ties with friendly Indo-Pacific nations, de- spite the natural secrecy and high level of classification na- tions typically attach to their own EW capabilities.
This could be in the form of performing EW or ISR in concert with a regional partner or as part of a coalition of nations or operating from a friendly nation’s airfields to get closer to an area of interest to carry out ISR missions.
The former is why multilateral training exercises like Pitch Black and Cope North are important opportunities for the RAAF to hone their skills conducting ISR and EW operations within a larger, multinational force.
In addition to US EW assets residing within the Indo-Pa- cific Command, the relatively advanced militaries of Japan and South Korea means both have advanced EW capabili- ties, and Australia’s forging of closer defence ties with both countries is an opportunity to work closer in the EW do- main (within the comfort zone
of all involved).
Japan has in recent years been
investing heavily in EW, with the ongoing introduction of the Kawasaki RC-2 stand-off jam- mer/SIGINT aircraft to replace older platforms in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It is also de- veloping improved ground-based EW capabilities and is conduct- ing research and development work to replace the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion-based EW platforms in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
“THEGROWLERSAND PEREGRINES WILL BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE RAAF’S EW CAPABILITIES GIVEN THAT IS THEIR DEDICATED MISSION SET, BUT MANY OF THE OTHER AIRBORNE PLATFORMS WILL HAVE THEIR OWN EW CAPABILITIES”
In addition to having their
own dedicated EW assets and plans to introduce more, both countries also operate the F-35, and their closer de- fence links with Australia will potentially enable enhanced leveraging of the F-35’s networked EW systems.
Similarly, deployments such as Operation Argos to en- force sanctions against North Korea from the Japanese is- land of Okinawa and that to Singapore by AP-3C(EW) and P-8As for what is believed to be ISR collection missions over the South China Sea as previously reported by ADM, allow the ADF to operate closer to the area of interest without onerous transit times and airborne refuelling requirements.
Singapore will also be a future operator of the F-35, while another area Australia can potentially leverage is to let friendly nations train on the EW training range being developed within the Delamere Air Weapons Range in the NT which will include, among other things, mobile threat emitters simulating adversary air defence systems.
Land-scarce Singapore also conducts annual fighter training in the NT and is an enthusiastic participant in the multinational Pitch Black air combat exercises, making it a
LEFT: The Kawasaki RC-2 stand-off jammer/SIGINT aircraft is being developed to replace the Japan Air Self Defense Force’s earlier EW platforms.
NIGEL PITTAWAY