What Are Electronic Warfare Aircraft And How Do They Work?
Story by Brad Hill • 3w
When you're a science fiction fan, whether it's books or cinema, you hear things like "Jam their communications" or "Boost our signal," and think it would be so cool if that kind of technology were real. Well, sometimes the real world either catches up with fiction or those concepts are based on real-world tools. The military has access to a variety of aircraft specifically designed to engage in a tactic known as Electronic Warfare (EW).
Electronic Warfare, as defined by Lockheed Martin, "represents the ability to use the electromagnetic spectrum—signals such as radio, infrared, or radar—to sense, protect, and communicate. At the same time, EW can disrupt, deny and degrade the adversaries' ability to use these signals." This gives forces an edge on the battlefield, increasing the chances for a successful mission. The U.S. military uses a variety of aircraft to engage in electronic warfare. The Navy's most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform is the EA-18G Growler, which is a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet.
The biggest difference is the lack of the Super Hornet's internal 20mm cannon. Instead, Boeing outfitted the Growler with electronic warfare equipment, and if it needs more than that, additional EW equipment can be attached to any of its nine hardpoints. However, even the U.S. Army's famed AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter is equipped with EW tools, containing a powerful targeting system and a superior Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) known as the AN/APR-48B Modernized Radar Frequency Interferometer (MRFI).
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/what-are-electronic-warfare-aircraft-and-how-do-they-work/ar-AA1tQgnu?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=727cc1fca22e4305ae7b84bd4efaaf6b&ei=125#:~:text=What%20Are%20Electronic,by%20Brad%20Hill
