Electronic Warfare: Electronic warfare systems for the AWD | ADM May 08

1 May 2008

While tenders for Electronic Warfare systems for the new Air Warfare Destroyer won't be sought until late next year (2009), an R&D program by Australian industry and DSTO, now nearing completion, could provide a necessary precursor to that acquisition.

By Tom Muir, Canberra

In 2006 the AWD Alliance outlined to industry its concepts for equipping the new destroyers with electronic warfare systems encompassing a range of ES sensors, EA jamming devices, countermeasure launchers for both IR and chaff cartridges, the Nulka offboard decoy, and a control system for the whole.

Responses were then sought from industry as to the performance, likely cost and availability of products that were suited to these broad requirements, the information then being used for a trade study that would be undertaken to identify the most suitable systems.

Indications were that two concepts were under consideration for the EW system.

These were an EW system integrated within its own domain but with an interface to the Aegis Weapons System (AWS) contained within the AWD Combat System, or for disparate EW elements with interfaces to the AWS and which may be partially integrated within EW system domain.

For example the MW ES element and MW EA element might be integrated but not necessarily with other EW system elements.

The Alliance's preference was for an integrated ES system.

Because the AWD is due to enter service in 2013 and continue to operate for 30 or more years, it was envisaged that new threats would appear and new capabilities needed to counter new threats.

Thus industry was informed that the ability to easily incorporate new equipment and capabilities (such as those currently being developed or about to be introduced into service and future planned equipment developments) would be an important consideration in the selection of EW equipment.

EW Open Systems Architecture
The Alliance's preference for an integrated EW system as one of the two concepts for a wholly or semi-integrated EW system is not only sensible but also advantageous for the indigenous EW industry.

It will occur either through adoption of an EW Open Architecture standard now being developed by Australian firms with expertise in standards and active and passive EW systems, or failing that, by releasing a tender for the design of an Open Architecture for the AWD EW suite as has occurred with Collins sonar system replacement project.

The firms referred to are those granted funding under the 2006 CTD program for their Integrated Electronic Warfare System.

As described elsewhere in this issue, this R&D program was a smart move by companies such as BAE Systems Australia and its recent acquisition, Tenix Defence Systems, to ensure their EW products could be readily integrated with other open or proprietary systems that would eventually form the AWD's EW system.

And this is a major integration task.

The EW control system must consolidate EW system operation and provide for the integration of the EW elements into an EW system that interfaces with the Aegis weapons system, and other combat system equipment (eg navigation, C4I etc) via an IP based network.

The EW system also needs to interface with other non-combat system receivers by distributing RF and IF from emitters intercepted by the EW system.

It will also need to interface with other AWD combat system subsystems, and control the launching of counter measures decoy (including an interface to Nulka).

Defence's Electronics Sector Strategic Plan recognised the importance of EW as being central to the defensive and offensive intelligence and protection of modern forces and saw as essential that the ADF maintain EW superiority over potential adversaries.

But trade controls on EW have led to a more pronounced focus on the ability to integrate EW originating in one country with systems acquired from another.

The sector plan says the ability to integrate EW subsystems into a highly automated suite is increasingly providing the capability edge this country needs.

But that was four years ago and if the plan was revised today we expect that that capability edge would have grown as a result of advances in EW capabilities achieved and in train by Australian companies.

Not only has the design and development of EW suites been tested in this country, they have also been acquired and installed in platforms.

Our understanding is that work on the EW CTD's second task, in effect the development of an Open Architecture for EW systems, is virtually complete and is now with RAN engineers prior to a decision by the Chief Naval Engineer whether or not to accept this EW architectural standard for the AWD.

We understand that a number of overseas EW system suppliers such as EDO and Thales, who have developed their own open systems architectures, have had the opportunity to comment on the architecture, which, as a Commonwealth initiative, would be hardware agnostic.

If this Australian design for an EW system open architecture is adopted as the model for an Australian standard, we assume it and associated toolkits will be made available to all contenders for the AWD EW subsystem, including Australian contenders.

If for whatever reason Navy decides not to adopt this standard then we may see a requirement for the design of an EW OA as a precursor to the release of EW solicitations for the AWD.

This would be similar to the equipment acquisition strategy used for the Collins Sonar System Replacement requirement, under which an RFT was released for a study to provide an Open Architecture model for replacing the submarine's onboard sonar system.

But the development of this open network standard for the Collins future sonar system differs markedly from the approach taken towards the development of an EW OA standard for the AWD.

With the former, great pains have been taken to ensure that those involved in designing the architecture will be excluded from supplying equipment under subsequent phases of the program.

Not so with the Integrated EW Network CTD.

If adopted for the AWD, those who developed it will be among the first to propose their systems and equipment as being fully compliant with the architectural standard!

And we would have absolutely no quarrel with that!

Australian EW capabilities
There are a number of Australian companies with considerable local expertise in the integration and support of EW systems.

They include Advanced Systems and Jenkins Engineering Defence Systems while companies such as Avalon Systems, Compucat Research, EW Associates, Defcon Technologies and SysTech Consultants have considerable depth of expertise in EW technology which, together with DSTO's very considerable EW research output, underpins a broad-based-and growing-domestic EW capability.

But the major players of course are BAE Systems Australia and Tenix Defence, each of which has developed and introduced into service discrete EW system elements.

BAE Systems Australia has considerable experience in the detection and classification of RF emissions through its work in the development of the ALR-2000 series of airborne radar warning systems for application across F/RF-111, F/A-18, Blackhawk and Chinook, the active Nulka offboard decoy, the SIIDAS (Sensor Independent Integrated Defensive Aids System) EW suite controller, its ongoing development of the maritime ESM system (PRISM) which has been installed in three classes of RAN ships, together with all the ancillary activities and work associated with the integration of complex airborne and maritime EW systems.

In addition, BAE Systems Australia is principal sub-contractor for the RAAF's Wedgetail EWSP suite.

The company is the local portal for Australian companies bidding for sub-contracts on the Joint Strike Fighter EWSP system and has shouldered the burden of managing a diverse spread of Australian tenders and sub-contractors on behalf of its sister firm, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Warfare Systems in the US, which has overall responsibility for JSF Electronic Warfare system integration.

We believe that BAES has proposed PRISM 5, the latest development of its PRISM ESM series for the AWD requirement.

It may eventually be accepted for the LHD if and when the current proviso of 'fitted for, but not with' is scrapped.

Tenix, now under BAES ownership, has a growing portfolio of EW capabilities which include carrying out a number of unpublicised tasks for Defence and DSTO.

And thanks also to its F-111C EL/L-8222 jammer pod expertise and other work programs such as the SEA 1390 ESM system, Tenix appears to be positioning itself as one of Australian defence industry's technical leaders in EA.

But it seems that Tenix interest in EA is not limited to electronic attack as in RF jamming of radars and RF seeker heads on missiles.

The company has the AWD in its sights for what appears to be an important imaging radar countermeasure, a niche technology which could be widely adopted.

Its capabilities in this EA field came to light when its classified Cuttlefish program won a CTD contract in a previous round.

Cuttlefish is designed to protect lightly armed and very large amphibious transport and supply ships from air attack by developing a counter to the imaging radar (typically Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar - ISAR) sensors which equip a growing number of surveillance aircraft, manned and unmanned.

While exact details of how Cuttlefish works will likely remain classified Tenix may claim to be the only Australian company with an EA design and engineering capability that's able to undertake work of this sort.

Other EW system contenders
EDO ES-3701 ES
EDO will be offering the current version of the CS-3701 system (ES-3701 which is a later version of what was offered for the FFG Upgrade) and identical to that fitted in the Collins Class Submarines but with a different RF Distribution sub-systems.

This combined ESM and RWR system was developed to provide an improved performance replacement for all of the lower performance, simple design, amplitude monopulse systems currently used on ships and submarines.

The system also supports operator ELINT quality analysis of intercepted signals and operator intervention in the signal identification and platform reporting process.

We assume that a big tick in its favour (aside from commonality with the Collins' system) is that EDO's ES-3701 system has been integrated with the Aegis combat system on the Norwegian Nansen Class frigate.

Rafael Shipborne EWS/EA Suite
We understand Rafael will be proposing the combined ESM/EA system (SEWS/RAN110) which was originally offered for the FFG upgrade but for which only the C-Pearl ESM component was acquired.

Rafael says that the combination of ESM and EA in the one suite permits threat identification and simultaneous jamming and deception of multiple threats including surface ships, aircraft and radar sites.

The EA side of the suite is based on their Shark Shipborne ECM system, which Rafael claims is capable of jamming and deceiving a large number of threats simultaneously in different directions.

Shark employs simultaneous coincidence jamming with high transmitting power and fast beam switching.

Maigret S 5800 Integrated EW System (IEWS)
MRCM, a strategic alliance between EADS (the former Telefunken organisation of Germany), Grintek ewation of South Africa, Indra of Spain and others, are believed to be keenly pursuing the EW requirements for the AWD.

Founded in 2000, to provide complete solutions and products for SIGINT and tactical EW systems to customers worldwide, the alliance has some Australian history and credentials to satisfy the requirement.

The MRCM alliance, led on this occasion by EADS, is expected to be proposing an integrated COMINT/ELINT/EA solution from the MAIGRET family, comprising a wideband COMINT system, an ESM/ELINT solution based on the Indra digital SLQ-380 system and a countermeasures suite consisting of a phased array EA system derived from the system installed on the F- 100 as well as a Decoy Launcher System.

The MAIGRET R 5800 microwave ES and EA suite is derived from the Indra Aldebaran ESM/Elnath EA suite which will have been integrated with that vessel's Aegis system.

Thales 'Sabre' ESM/ECM
Thales has a long pedigree of supplying ESM and ECM systems both for the export and its domestic market.

The current Vigile Export RESM family is designed around a modular architecture, which can be tailored to specific customer requirements.

The core system covering 2 -18 GHz, can easily be adapted to provide wider frequency coverage, enhanced bearing accuracy using a wideband interferometer, and a receiver to provide more precise parameter measurements.

Sabre ESM is a development of Thales's (previously Racal's) UAT system and represents one of the more advanced integrated naval EW systems available.

This Integrated EW suite combines a multi-band ESM system with a Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM)-based phased array jammer, which is capable of tracking and jamming multiple simultaneous threats co-coordinated by a powerful techniques generator.

Thales is the major EW supplier to the UK Royal Navy.

Indra/Raytheon/Thales Aldebaran ESM/EA
Since the Navantia ship design has been accepted for the AWD then one might expect that that Spanish EW firm Indra (part owned by Raytheon and Thales) will be offering their Aldebaran ESM/Elnath ECM suite which will have been integrated with that vessel's Aegis system.

Although this EW systems company has not sold EW systems widely, the Spanish navy chose Aldebaran as the basis for a family of standardised scaleable modular ESM/ECM systems.

Aldebaran, with a DRFM-based ECM system, was been chosen for Spain's four F-100 Aegis frigates.

All ESM and ECM functions can be controlled from a single-operator console.

The Aldebaran-based SLQ-380 is being marketed internationally.

AWD EW system capabilities
The EW System needs to be able to:

- Passively intercept radar and communications RF emissions.

- Identify and classify emitters.

- Deny hostile platforms access to accurate own platform surveillance radar information by using EA to jam or to deceive the radar.

(NB: the purpose of the microwave (MW) EA is to deceive and confuse surveillance radars of hostile air platforms.)

- Deny hostile platforms access to RF communications data by using EA to jam the hostile platforms receivers.

- Control the CML and launch RF and IR (or joint RF and IR) decoys.

- Launch Nulka.

- Provide CML status information.

- Provide ES and EA information to remote consoles.