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The South African Electronic Warfare Association |
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Aardvark Roost |
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Message from the President |
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Oct 2009
The Changing External Environment has Shifted Platform Priorities for EW Self-Protection.
Coming from a fighter pilot background, I would never have thought that I will write the following message. That by itself is perhaps an indication of how the external environment has changed in the past 20 years!
In the “world” where I became a fighter pilot, fighter/attack aircraft ruled supreme and few people were “stupid” enough to challenge their importance. They projected the very essence of Air Power and their first and foremost task was to establish Air Superiority – without which “conventional” military action on land and sea is doomed.
The only platforms that demanded sophisticated self-protection EW suites were fighter/attack aircraft, attack helicopters and blue water Navy vessels. EW for the armies of the world revolved mainly around communications i.e. intelligence gathering (COMINT), ESM and jamming. Self-protection EW was beyond their framework of reference!
In the Post Cold War period in which we currently find ourselves, reality however shows that most conflicts tend to be unconventional. The enemy is no longer easily identified and “front” lines where most military action used to take place do not exist anymore. Cities and towns have become the battlefield where anyone could be the aggressor or the victim.
In today’s unconventional asymmetric conflicts, the people reverting to such tactics do not recognise any “rules of engagement.” In their fanatical world the term “the goal justifies the means” has taken on a new meaning. “Suicide bombers” and the indiscriminate targeting of civilian people by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), have become commonplace.
Stabilising such war ridden areas requires most of all the presence of well trained forces on the ground. They have to gain the confidence of the civilian population, build up a network of good intelligence, prevent atrocities aimed to intimidate ordinary citizens and provide humanitarian relief when and where necessary. Specialised rapid reaction forces are also vital to go after the guilty whenever violence erupts.
Protecting own forces against attacks in such circumstances, is a major problem that has not yet been solved. Heavy armoured vehicles like main battle tanks is not the answer as they often portray the wrong message and they are still quite vulnerable in built up areas against side-on and top attacks.
More mobile and lighter vehicles doing less damage to the infrastructure while still providing protection against small arms fire and capable of deterring counter fire power, are in general far better suited. Protecting them, and for that matter, also main battle tanks used in built up areas against weapons like RPG 7s, has made self-protection for land forces highly sought after.
The demands for self-protection in such circumstances are a huge challenge. It not only requires accurate response in very short (milliseconds) reaction time but the collateral damage caused by the counter measure to prevent the projectile from hitting the vehicle, must be limited to the absolute minimum.
In marine environments such as lakes, rivers, inshore waters and harbours, blue water vessels are not of much use. Fast patrol vessels are far better suited - in a way similar to the light combat vehicles described above. They are however also exposed to similar types of threats which have in turn also raised their priority for self-protection EW equipment.
It is quite clear that fighter/attack aircraft has little or no role to play in urban asymmetric conflicts. Air superiority is in most cases not an issue – it is a given. The firepower of attack aircraft is also very seldom required. Limiting collateral damage if they are called in, even when using “smart weapons,” is usually very difficult if not impossible to achieve. It however usually leads to bad publicity in the media with very negative results.
Own forces however need to be supplied and supported – often over long distances and in terrain where there are often very limited, heavily damaged or no road/rail infra structure. Adverse weather conditions (rainy season) also affect mobility in many parts of the world negatively.
Air transport is therefore often the only way to get the job done. The role of transport aircraft is to deploy own forces to the troubled areas and thereafter to support them. Utility helicopters are needed to provide tactical mobility in the areas of operations as well as to supply and support own forces where there are no suitable airfields to accommodate fixed wing transport aircraft.
Transport aircraft are quite vulnerable due to their relative slow speed, limited maneuverability and predictable flight path during normal departures and approaches. Helicopters are also vulnerable to due to their limited ability to absorb battle damage and relative slow speed.
Even though their vulnerability was recognized, their priority for self-protection EW equipment has traditionally been low in conventional war scenarios as they were in general kept away from the “front line.”
As we have seen, this has now changed - transport aircraft and helicopters are operating right within the “front line” that could be anywhere in today’s unconventional conflicts. EW self-protection is therefore becoming a mandatory requirement for these aircraft types. It is also not only applicable to military aircraft types but also include commercial transport aircraft types that are used on a large scale in all such areas of conflict.
The point is that self-protection EW is no longer “exclusive” only to the traditional high priority platforms like fighters. It is more a case that other platform types, on land, in maritime environments and in the air, now also demand self-protection EW equipment - and they need it urgently!
Regards Gerrie Radloff (President of the Aardvark Roost)
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