AN/ALQ-172 is an integrated airborne defensive electronic countermeasure system for the B-52 Stratofortress, MC-130E Combat Talon, MC-130H Combat Talon II, AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spooky. [1] [2] Originally produced by ITT Defense & Electronics Corp (now part of L3Harris Technologies) in the early 1980s, it was designed to improve low-level penetration survivability of the B-52. [1]
A study in 1996 by analysts of the Battelle Memorial Institute determined problems with repair of the ALQ-172 resulted in the highest cost per flying hour (CPFH) of any system on the B-52. [2] [3] The United States Air Force instituted Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) 93 modifying the system's memory and processing capability. By fiscal year 1997 (FY97), it also reported a second system was needed on the aircraft for full threat protection. [2]
Also in FY96, Air Staff directed the ALQ-172 be installed on AC-130H gunships replacing the non-supportable AN/ALQ-131 jamming pods. [2] Also installed on special operations forces (SOF) AC-130U, MC-130H and MC-130E aircraft, two subsystems were installed; one forward and one aft, with a single common display and control unit. Other engineering differences on these aircraft involved adding low-band transmitters, antennae and antenna control units. [2]
Upgrades have incorporated geolocation capabilities, advanced countermeasures and new technologies. [4] [5] Nine Line-replaceable units (LRUs) have been upgraded, with five of those tested as of mid-2024. [5] The upgrades are part of the maintainability and reliability system (MARS) upgrade; a 10-year, $947 million project enhancing the performance of the B-52's electronic countermeasures systems. [5] [3] With continuing support and upgrades, the ALQ-172 is expected to be in service well into the 2040s. [4]
Integrated with aircraft controls and displays, the system provides countermeasures capabilities for multiple sophisticated pulse, continuous wave, doppler and monopulse threats simultaneously. [1] [4] Using digital frequency discrimination (DFD) technology, the system is capable of determining pulse width, angle of arrival (AOA), and pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) of threat signals, deinterleaving and processing them. [2]
In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the AN/ALQ-172 designation represents the 172nd design of an Army-Navy electronic device for an electronic countermeasures system. The JETDS system also now is used to name Air Force systems.
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sensors, navigation, and fire-control systems. Unlike other modern military fixed-wing aircraft, the AC-130 relies on visual targeting. Since its large profile and low operating altitudes around 7,000 feet make it an easy target, its close air support missions are usually flown at night.
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting. It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. More than 40 variants of the Hercules, including civilian versions marketed as the Lockheed L-100, operate in more than 60 nations.
The Lockheed Martin EC-130 series comprises several slightly different versions of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules that have been and continue to be operated by the U.S. Air Force and, until the 1990s, the U.S. Navy.
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. Pave was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for a wide range of different programs, though backronyms and alternative meanings have been used. For example, in the helicopters Pave Low and Pave Hawk it was said to mean Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment, but in PAVE PAWS it was said to mean Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry.
A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support.
The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a wing of the Air Education and Training Command, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the Air Force Reserve Command. Based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport, the MC-130s' missions are the infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of special operations forces, and the air refueling of (primarily) special operations helicopter and tilt-rotor aircraft.
An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an 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 and 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. Self-protecting (defensive) ECM includes using blip enhancement and jamming of missile terminal homers.
The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is an X-band electronically steered pulse-Doppler 3D radar system used to alert and cue Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. It is currently produced by Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
The AN/APG-63 and AN/APG-70 are a family of all-weather multimode radar systems designed by Hughes Aircraft for the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter. These X band pulse-Doppler radar systems are designed for both air-air and air-ground missions; they are able to look up at high-flying targets and down at low-flying targets without being confused by ground clutter. The systems can detect and track aircraft and small high-speed targets at distances beyond visual range down to close range, and at altitudes down to treetop level. The radar feeds target information into the aircraft's central computer for effective weapons delivery. For close-in dogfights, the radar automatically acquires enemy aircraft and projects this information onto the cockpit head-up display. The name is assigned from the Army Navy Joint Electronics Type Designation System.
The AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system is an electronic countermeasure tool designed by Raytheon to protect multiple US military aircraft from air-to-air and surface-to-air radar-guided missiles. The AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system is an anti-missile countermeasures decoy system used on U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft, and by certain non-United States air forces. The system is manufactured by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems at its facility in Goleta, California. The ALE-50 system consists of a launcher and launch controller installed on the aircraft, and one or more expendable towed decoys. Each decoy is delivered in a sealed canister and has a ten-year shelf life.
The AN/ALQ-144, AN/ALQ-147, and AN/ALQ-157 are US infrared guided missile countermeasure devices (IRCM). They were developed by Sanders Associates in the 1970s to counter the threat of infrared guided surface-to-air missiles like the 9K32 Strela-2. While decoy flares were effective at jamming first generation infra-red guided missiles, each flare was only effective for a short period. If an aircraft needed to loiter over a high risk area or was flying slowly, it would require a large number of flares to decoy any missile fired at it. The IRCM provided constant protection against infra-red guided missiles.
In the U.S. Air Force, an electronic warfare officer (EWO) is a trained aerial navigator who has received training in enemy threat systems, electronic warfare principles and overcoming enemy air defense systems. These officers are specialists in finding, identifying and countering air defense systems and also radar-, infrared- and optically guided surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery as well as enemy fighter planes. In aircraft that could penetrate enemy airspace EWOs protect their aircraft using radar jamming, chaff and flares to deceive potential threats. In other aircraft EWOs work to gather intelligence information on potential enemy air defense systems and communication systems.
The Combat Aircraft Systems Development & Integration Centre (CASDIC) is a laboratory of the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, It is one of the two DRDO laboratories involved in the research and development of airborne electronic warfare and mission avionics systems.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s, and NASA for nearly 50 years. The bomber can carry up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons and has a typical combat range of around 8,800 miles (14,200 km) without aerial refueling.
AN/ALQ-101 is an electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod used on aircraft such as the Blackburn Buccaneer at RAF Honington. It was also used in the Falklands War by the Avro Vulcan bomber during Operation Black Buck.
The AN/ALQ-135 is an electronic countermeasure (ECM) jamming system produced by Northrop Grumman for the Tactical Electronic Warfare Suite (TEWS) on F-15 Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft. The system can jam and track multiple anti-aircraft missiles in addition to other threats. During the Gulf War, the AN/ALQ-135 logged more than 6,600 hours of combat, yet no aircraft were lost to a threat the system protects against.
BriteCloud is a self-contained expendable digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammer developed by Selex ES to help protect military aircraft. The decoy was launched by Selex ES at a conference held at the Churchill War Rooms, London on 6 November 2013.
The ADR-8 was an unguided electronic countermeasures rocket developed by Tracor for use by the United States Air Force. It was used to dispense chaff from Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers.
AN/ALR-20(A) is an airborne wideband tuned radio frequency receiver providing a panoramic display of Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum on US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft. As a stand-alone system, it is used by the Electronics Warfare Officer (EWO) to evaluate and determine various classifications of threats to the aircraft, identifying various signals including search, acquisition, and tracking radars as well as communications. Because it allows a broad view of the RF spectrum, its situational awareness also provides for analysis of the efficacy of jamming techniques employed by the EWO using other systems. First manufactured in the late 1960s, the system is a passive Electronic Support Measures (ESM) tuned radio frequency receiver. It is the primary tool used by the EWO to evaluate threats.
| Active Countermeasures (Jamming) | |
|---|---|
| Passive Radar Warning Receivers | |
| Missile Warning Systems | |
| Flare and Chaff Sytems | |
| Directional IRCM | |
| Dedicated ECM / ESM aircraft | |
