The Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is a unique national asset that can be deployed from land bases and aircraft carriers to monitor the electromagnetic spectrum and actively deny an adversary the use of radar and communications. The EA-6B is a unique, high-demand low-volume (HDLV) national asset that provides electronic attack for the Navy, Marines, and Air Force. The EA-6B Prowler was designed to complement the Navy's defenses in today's electronic warfare environment.
The EA-18G Growler is an electronic attack version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet and will replace existing EA-6B Prowlers completely within the next several years. Leading the sea change are the Sailors of Electronic Attack Squadrons (VAQ) 129 "Vikings" and 132 "Scorpions" out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. As the Fleet Replacement Squadron, the Vikings were the first ones to transition to the new platform.
EA-6 Prowler
Growler: an electronic attack warfare revolution | All Hands | Find Articles at BNET
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Electronic warfare (EW) refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly unimpeded access to, the EM spectrum. EW can be applied from air, sea, land, and space by manned and unmanned systems, and can target communication, radar, or other services.[1] EW includes three major subdivisions: Electronic Attack (EA), Electronic Protection (EP), and Electronic warfare Support (ES).
Electronic warfare (EW) is the use of the electromagnetic spectrum to deny its effective use by an adversary.
Electronic warfare has three main components:
• Electronic Attack (EA)
This is the active or passive use of the electromagnetic spectrum to deny its use by an adversary.
An older term for EA is electronic countermeasures (ECM).
Active EA includes such activities as jamming, deception, active cancellation and EMP use.
Passive EA includes such activities as the use of chaff, towed decoys, balloons, radar reflectors, propelled and unpropelled winged decoys and stealth.
Many modern EA techniques are considered to be highly classified.
• Electronic Protection (EP)
This includes all activities related to making enemy EA activities less successful by means of protecting friendly personnel, facilities, equipment or objectives. EP can also be implemented to prevent friendly forces from being affected by their own EA.
Older terms for EP are electronic protective measures (EPM) and electronic counter countermeasures (ECCM).
Active EP includes such activities as technical modifications to radio equipment (such as frequency-hopping spread spectrum).
Passive EP includes such activities as education of operators (enforcing strict discipline) and modified battlefield tactics or operations.
• Electronic Support (ES)
This is the passive use of the electromagnetic spectrum to gain intelligence about other parties on the battlefield in order to find, identify, locate and intercept potential threats or targets.
An older term for ES is electronic support measures (ESM).
This intelligence might be used directly as fire missions for artillery or air strike orders, for mobilization of friendly forces to a specific location or objective on the battlefield or as the basis of EA/EP actions.
EA operations can be detected by an adversary due to their active transmissions. ES, however, can be conducted without the enemy ever knowing it. Its counterpart, SIGINT, is continuously performed by most of the world's countries in order to gain intelligence derived from other parties' electronic equipment and tactics.
Electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) refers to intelligence-gathering by use of electronic sensors. Its primary focus lies on non-communications signals intelligence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff define it as "Technical and geolocation intelligence derived from foreign noncommunications electromagnetic radiations emanating from other than nuclear detonations or radioactive sources."[2]
Signal identification is performed by analyzing the collected parameters of a specific signal, and either matching it to known criteria, or recording it as a possible new emitter. ELINT data are usually highly classified, and are protected as such.
The data gathered are typically pertinent to the electronics of an opponent's defense network, especially the electronic parts such as radars, surface-to-air missile systems, aircraft, etc. ELINT can be used to detect ships and aircraft by their radar and other electromagnetic radiation; commanders have to make choices between not using radar (EMCON), intermittently using it, or using it and expecting to avoid defenses. ELINT can be collected from ground stations near the opponent's territory, ships off their coast, aircraft near or in their airspace, or by satellite.
Electronic countermeasures (ECM) are a subsection of electronic warfare which includes any sort of electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively or defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy. The system may make many separate targets appear to the enemy, or make the real target appear to disappear or move about randomly. It is used effectively to protect aircraft from guided missiles. Most air forces use ECM to protect their aircraft from attack. It has also been deployed by military ships and recently on some advanced tanks to fool laser/IR guided missiles. It is frequently coupled with stealth advances so that the ECM systems have an easier job. Offensive ECM often takes the form of jamming. Defensive ECM includes using blip enhancement and jamming of missile terminal homers.
