Posted on 08/29/2005 12:37:20 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
St. Louis, August 29, 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and BAE Systems have combined their B-52 and electronic warfare expertise to offer the U.S. Air Force a highly qualified team to execute the B-52 Stand-Off Jammer (SOJ) program.
"It takes a highly experienced electronic warfare integrator, along with the B-52 platform expert to deliver the maximum benefits of an effects-based, electronic attack capability," said Pat Finneran, vice president and general manager of Boeing's Logistics Support Systems. "The Boeing/BAE Systems team provides both. We have the vision and capability to deliver multi-platform electronic combat battle management for the Air Force's Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) system of systems."
"Our team will leverage experience from major development and integration responsibilities on all key AEA programs," said Mike Heffron, president of BAE Systems' Information Warfare line of business.
The Air Force plans to make the B-52 an integral part of its AEA plan, by fitting the aircraft with simultaneous jamming, decoy and strike capabilities. The Air Force is expected to award the pre-System Development and Demonstration contract this fall. The B-52 SOJ program is estimated to be fully operational by 2012.
Finneran and Heffron detailed several distinct advantages of the Boeing/BAE Systems' best value solution for the war fighter: The team's electronic battle management and multi-vehicle command and control algorithms and software, which are also supporting all teams for the E-10A and Joint-Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS), provide a highly leveraged, cost effective integrated electronic warfare node within the AEA System of Systems. The system will counter the integrated air defense systems of today, enabling the Air Force's Information Dominance vision. The team's direct involvement on other major electronic warfare development programs like the B-52, EA-18G, J-UCAS, Compass Call, F/A-22, and F-35 ensures in-depth understanding of the evolving Airborne Electronic Attack concept of operations, warfighter needs, and B-52H SOJ mission expectations. The team understands relevant technologies such as networking electronic attack, electronic surveillance and data distribution. The team's modular, scalable approach is tailored for B-52 SOJ requirements.
The Boeing/BAE Systems solution provides integrated receivers, jamming pods with pre-emptive and selective reactive jamming techniques, and mission-management software for the Stand-Off Jammer mission. The team's approach will meet the customer's needs on four critical interfaces: Stand-off jammer system integration; systems integration on the B-52 platform; addressing the human/crew interface and, ultimately, successful integration within the Air Force's AEA systems of systems. It will be achieved without degrading current weapons carriage capability.
BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, combat vehicles, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems. It is a pioneer in technology with a heritage stretching back hundreds of years and is at the forefront of innovation, working to develop the next generation of intelligent defense systems. BAE Systems has major operations across five continents and customers in some 130 countries. The company employs nearly 100,000 people and generates annual sales of approximately $25 billion through its wholly owned and joint-venture operations.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.5 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.
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Installed in 2012? Hasn't the B-52 set a world record for longest airplane in continuous military service yet? At this rate, it could go for 100 years total.
BAE bump
They don't have the range of the B-52. These jamming aircraft in some cases will fly along side B-52 strik missions. By having an EB-52H, the flight characteristics of the jamming plane will be the same as for the bombers so there won't be a problem with it being too fast or too slow and not being able to stay with the bombers. Too bad the USAF won't take some B-52G's restore them to flying condition, reengine them, and put the jamming electronics in them.
Its saving grace is its huge weapons bay - it can lay a carpet of dumb bombs or loose an armada of stand-off missiles. If we don't need it for that, we don't need it at all anymore.
The AF has several EW aircraft in inventory, why not use them?
Why ? Power and "legs". With the Bomb Bay freed up, as well as a sizeable part of the Bomb/Nav compartment, you can stuff a LOT of ECM gear. And as is today, the B-52 is capable of putting out over a megawatt of jamming power. Imagine what it could do with upgrades. . .
Now, add the huge fuel tanks of a -52 . . .and you have a standoff jammer you can send ANYWHERE on the planet from a US Base. . .non-stop.
Hello, EB-52 "Megafortress". . . .
Now, if they'd only put a real toilet in the jet. . . they've been PROMISING it since 1956. . . .
There are huge numbers of TF-33 turbofan engines in storage. Besides the B-52H, they are used on the KC-135E and the C-141. Since the C-141's are rapidly being decommissioned, there are lots of engines available.
The B-52 is already a great standoff jammer (if need be).
Here is a nickname for ( SOJ ) Stand - O - Jamma (or ) Stand - O - Jammer ( weapons, radar and communications jammer ).
I thought a "stand off jammer" (SOJ), did not go in with the strike package. It loiters at a safer distance, detects and evaluates radar threats then uses AECM against those threats.
But going to and from the target area, they need to be able to stay with the bombers. The 767 is a slower plane than the B-52. It's a lot cheaper to convert a B-52 that's already paid for to use as a jammer than to buy a new commercial airframe. If the number of airframes available for bombing duties is a problem, some of the B-52G's could be refurbished to serve as as electronic warfare platforms.
Unfortunately, the G-models that still survive have a date with the Davis-Monthan AFB "aircraft chopper", due to START treaty requirements.
Many of the B-52H's are being modified to drop JDAM's. With the ability to destroy large numbers of targets with one sortie, the effectiveness of each bomber is much greater than it was 10-15 years ago. The airframes are expected to last till at least 2045, and the cost to configure already paid for B-52's is a lot less than buying a new airframe for the mission.
They sure look intimidating when they're coming at you.
Served at K.I. Sawyer back in the 70's, and we loved to watch them do touch and goes.
The sound of Freedom never sounded better!
Didn't know it's related to the famous J57.
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