Invisible death for American guests
While comprehending what was happening in the skies over the Black Sea and considering options for the development of events and methods of countering air pirates, I was caught by the news that work on the creation of a new aircraft was in full swing in South Korea.
It would seem that South Korea is there and where are their planes? In fact, yes, South Korean-built ships and cars are in greater demand in the world than airplanes. Especially combat ones.
However, work on its own aircraft in South Korea has been going on for a long time and, it must be said, not without success. Yes, the KF-21 Boramae does not at all look like a fifth-generation fighter, even taking into account the fact that the United States handed over the honor of technological developments for the F-35 to its Asian allies. The maximum that the KF-21 can do is generation 4,5 or 4+, whatever you like, the point is not in numbers, but in capabilities.
The KF-21 Boramae is a promising and promising aircraft, the main thing is that its creators do not plan to produce “unparalleled in the world”, their maximum tasks are much simpler: an aircraft that will surpass the F-16 in its capabilities and characteristics.
But what we are currently interested in is not the KF-21, but the KF-21EA. And this is planned on the basis of the two-seat combat training KF-21B electronic warfare aircraft. Naturally, there will be no dual control, and the second place will be given to the operator of the systems with which this aircraft is supposed to be stuffed from the heart.
The creation of this aircraft was originally planned under the KF-X program and there is little doubt that the work will progress as planned. And, sooner or later, the KF-21EA will take to the air and begin testing.
This will not happen tomorrow, development has just begun, which means that a lot of time and money will still pass before there are any sane results. But what is important to us is not the result, but a certain trend.
And it will lead to the fact that the Republic of Korea will have the KF-21EA (Electronic Attack) electronic warfare and air defense suppression aircraft. Considering the close friendship between the South Koreans and the Americans, it will most likely be an analogue of the Boeing EA-18G “Growler”, which has been in service with the US Navy since 2008. That is, a completely tested and normally operated carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft.
It is planned to install three electronic warfare containers and two electronic reconnaissance equipment containers on the KF-21EA.
On the ventral hardpoint there will be a container with low-frequency electronic warfare systems, and on two underwing nodes there will be two containers with high-frequency electronic electronic warfare systems, that is, the operator will be able to suppress enemy radar systems in almost the entire frequency range. And containers with electronic reconnaissance equipment will be placed on the wingtips.
Naturally, four hardpoints will be allocated to accommodate a pair of air-to-air missiles for self-defense, and two for AARGM-ER anti-radar missiles. That is, to have something to finish off what was not suppressed.
If Korean aircraft manufacturers nevertheless decide on the issue of an intra-fuselage weapons compartment, then this will not add stealth to such an aircraft, but will allow it to carry more missiles for defense and attack. The plans call for the compartment to accommodate either four long-range Meteors or eight air-to-surface missiles.
The KF-21EA avionics will also differ from the original version in the presence of a new promising airborne radar with AFAR and a new airborne defense complex, to which elements of network-centric interaction will be added. In the long term, the KF-21EA is considered as one of the elements of the promising NACS (Next Air Combat System), developed by KAI, which, according to the developers’ plans, will be able to “attach” UAVs controlled via satellite communication channels to aircraft.
The creation of the KF-21EA is planned for approximately 2036, but the timing is highly dependent on the completion date of work directly on the KF-21 Boramae. And he made his first flight in July 2022, that is, just two years ago. And already during 2023, the manufacturer KAI transferred six flight prototypes of the aircraft to the Air Force for testing, two of the six were two-seater, which made it possible to conduct parallel studies of the capabilities of such aircraft, including the program for creating an electronic warfare aircraft.
On June 25, 2024, the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Agency awarded KAI a $1,41 billion contract to supply the South Korean Air Force with the first 20 production KF-21 fighter jets. These aircraft are due to be handed over to the Air Force in 2026. And this amount includes $347 million, which will be spent on continuing development work on versions of the aircraft.
It is planned to purchase 2032 production KF-120 aircraft by 21, and KF-2036EA aircraft by 21.
There is not much time left to see whether South Korean aircraft manufacturers will follow the normal path or repeat the “successes” of their Indian and Pakistani colleagues. In theory, they shouldn’t, there is a certain confidence that they will succeed. The Koreans themselves can do a lot, and with close friendly assistance from the United States, they will be able to do even more, at least to implement developments on the F-35 so that it doesn’t turn out to be “expensive and rotten” - why not?
In general, South Korea will join the club of owners of electronic warfare aircraft in the very near future.
But we're not talking about airplanes, we're talking about trends. And therefore, next is China.
The PLA Air Force has such a machine as the J-16D Hidden Dragon. The Dragon made its first flight in 2015, that is, the machine is fresh. Created on the basis of the two-seat fighter J-11BS (this is a licensed Su-27SK) with technology borrowed from the Su-30MKK, which China is buying from Russia. Well, and my own developments.
The J-16 initially had 12 hardpoints, 2 between the engine nacelles, 2 under the air intakes, 6 under the wings and 2 at the wingtips, with a total payload capacity of over 8 tons.
Containers with reconnaissance equipment were immediately registered on the wingtips of the J-16D, the remaining 10 units were divided between missiles and other electronic warfare containers: the RK-Z930-22 and RK-Z930-10 containers were installed under the wing consoles, and the RK-Z930-31 and RK-Z930-32 - left and right of the fuselage. These containers house suppression equipment for different frequency ranges. In addition, the cannon was removed from the fuselage, and jamming station blocks were placed in its place.
The result is a design similar to the American NGJ REP system, in which standard jamming units are supplemented with replaceable ones in hanging containers.
Here the Chinese are great, in the design of the “Hidden Dragon” they added a mid-wave interference generation unit to the standard high- and low-frequency interference generating units, that is, if necessary, the J-16D can try to work on all ranges. How effective this will be is a question, but “extinguishing” any of the three ranges to choose from is very good.
Theoretically, an electronic warfare fighter with such a full-range suppression capability could become a very effective means of combating not only air defense systems, but also enemy aviation and - very important - drones enemy. Creating a full-fledged anti-radar protection zone around a group of one’s aircraft is strong, because if we take the example of the Americans’ use of their Growler, then one such aircraft significantly increased the security of the F/A-18, which are not at all invisible. The Hornets are not even stealth, so this was very useful for them, especially where the enemy had at least some air defense.
In addition, if rumors are confirmed that the Chinese have somehow “torn off” (although the option of developing their own system should not be discarded) the American CCS (Communications Countermeasures System), “Complex of communications countermeasures” system, then it will generally be a bomb . But it’s too early to talk about this yet.
However, intercepting and scanning voice messages (including encoded ones), as well as data transmission channels, which the system allows, with the further generation of directed interference and transmitting them through low-frequency transmitters is very unpleasant, given that the aircraft can safely operate on jamming in an area with a radius of a couple of hundred kilometers or even more.
Well, the enemy of some and the ally of others in the region is the United States. And there, of course, is what all developers in all countries of the world are looking at: the EA-18G Growler. A classic of the genre, as they say.
The EA-18G is designed for conducting electronic reconnaissance, jamming enemy radars and communications systems, and destroying radars with HARM anti-radar missiles. The “trick” of the “Grunt” is that it is a network-centric aircraft, capable of interacting with other aircraft and drones in a single information field, transmitting information both through its own communication channels and through satellites.
The aircraft has an interesting layout. It is so hung with antennas (on the sides, in the tail, in the nose, between the engines) that they allow the AN/ALQ-218(V2) complex to receive and send signals from any angle from all sides and in all directions. The gun was removed and replaced by the AN/ALQ-227(V)1 CCS (Communications Countermeasures System) complex, which intercepts signals, analyzes them, and then AN/ALQ-99 broadband low-frequency transmitters, which are placed in containers, are used. under the fuselage. This is not the best technical solution, ALQ-99 are frankly outdated and their inclusion in work with CCS is like illuminating a target with a laser for firing cannonballs from a cannon. The weak link, seriously.
On the one hand, there are satellite communications and communication systems that provide stable communication during the operation of jamming systems, and on the other, the suppressors themselves are based on lamp element base.
The EA-18G Growler's standard weapons include two narrowband and one wideband ALQ-99 jammers, two drop tanks, two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles and two HARM anti-radar missiles. Instead of a broadband transmitter, you can hang a fuel tank.
EA-18G Growler fought. The baptism of fire was during the operation in Libya, where the Grumpy coped “excellently” with the French Crotal and Soviet Osa air defense systems. True, “Crotal” was no longer dared to be called a good modern complex, and the neutralization of the 9K33 “Osa” air defense system comes from the seventies of the last century...
However, this is not the main thing.
The main thing is that we do not have anything close to these aircraft. No, we had jammer planes, but here it is - in the past tense.
The seventies, when the Yak-28PP were in service with the Soviet Air Force, can be considered the golden era of aviation electronic warfare.
The plane was not easy, but effective. True, by the 90s it was really outdated and was withdrawn from service in 1992-93. The Su-24MP was planned to replace it, but... The Yak left its post, but the Su did not come to the post.
10 aircraft were manufactured, two Su-24MPs entered the 4th TsBP in Lipetsk, and all eight production aircraft were supplied to the 118th separate aviation regiment of REP aircraft in Chertkov. After the collapse of the USSR they remained in Ukraine.
In this story electronic warfare aircraft in Russia ended before it began, and for 30 years now we have nothing in service even similar to the Growler. But the enemy has it, and it’s not just the States, the Europeans have an electronic warfare aircraft based on an attack aircraft - the Tornado ECR. It has been in service since 1989, but modernizations keep it in good shape. Both the German and Italian Air Forces operate it quite normally.
We don’t have such an aircraft, and, apparently, it’s not even expected. Meanwhile, recent practice has demonstrated the need for such a type of weapon as an electronic warfare aircraft.
Here are screenshots of one well-known program showing the presence of various aircraft in the sky, taken at different times. It can be very clearly seen that American reconnaissance UAVs fly along our borders, openly hiding behind civilian aircraft.
The picture of possible counteraction is so-so. Coastal air defense systems are at the limit of their range, and firing towards civilian corridors is a so-so idea; all that was missing was to shoot down a foreign passenger airliner. Let's dismiss the idea.
SAM systems on ships are a little more interesting, but with the same UAVs it is very easy to detect all the movements of warships and adjust the course of a drone that has a speed an order of magnitude higher than the ship’s - as easy as shelling pears.
An attack by an aircraft on an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft using missiles or a cannon - this, whatever one may say, will be regarded as an act of aggression by Russia against the United States. American drones fly in neutral airspace and nothing can be done about it.
So all that remains is to pour kerosene or create turbulent turbulence. Everything is based on the experience of Russian pilots, fortunately, it exists.
In this case, the use of electronic warfare aircraft in such a situation could be very effective. For several reasons at once.
1. An interference, as a result of which the drone will either lose contact with the control centers, or its brain will “go sour” - an intangible thing, unlike a rocket. Electromagnetic waves that fly through space and disable electronics are very old, but a nuclear air explosion is not our method. But the generated interference signal sent to the Hawk - why not? It is unproven, like buckshot compared to a rifled bullet.
2. There will be much less concern about the unenviable fate of civilian airliners in some cases. Directional antennas have not been canceled, and work on jamming using radar antennas with AFAR is carried out not only in the USA. In general, this use of radar is the most luxurious option: an electronic warfare aircraft enters from a corridor with civilian airliners, finds a drone, points the antenna at it and... Antennas with phased arrays are capable of producing a very thin (about 1-1,5 degrees) beam, which can be sent to the appropriate a way generated interference that disrupts some processes in the drone's brain.
3. The political component is practically absent due to its unprovability. There is no clause in any set of rules that prohibits fumbling with a radar beam in space. And if someone starts having problems with navigation, then questions of a completely different kind arise.
So a well-crafted interference that will blow the minds of, say, a radar altitude sensor is a very good way to end the situation as a whole. As an example.
The bad thing is that we don’t have aircraft capable of performing such an operation. Not only is it not, it is also not expected in the near future. This means that just as the American “birds” flew, so they will fly, just as the American missiles aimed at us, so they will. And we can only rely on the skill of our pilots, who will be able to do something with aerobatics. But this is not a solution to the problem.
How can a problem of this nature be solved if the Russian Aerospace Forces have only THREE electronic warfare aircraft? And even then, it’s not a very successful design, the IL-22PP, which is the “Chopper”.
In 2016, the media happily reported that “the first three new electronic warfare aircraft have been delivered to the Aerospace Forces.” These three aircraft were relatively new, since they were converted from Il-18, which were mass-produced from 1957 to 1985. Yes, having undergone a major overhaul, but still.
And these first three aircraft have so far turned out to be, since 2016, all that our Aerospace Forces have in this regard.
But the IL-22 is completely unsuitable for performing the tasks in question. It is difficult to say what guided the development of the electronic warfare aircraft theme, but the Porubshchik is not suitable for combating UAVs such as Reaper or Global Hawk. There is no doubt that the L-415 “Porubshchik” complex itself is a completely modern means of electronic warfare; our KRET produces decent electronic warfare systems, and this is known all over the world and recognized by experts and the military.
But to put the latest complex in a fifty-year-old aircraft capable of flying at a cruising speed of 500 km/h (which is obviously less than the cruising speed of the same Hawk by 200 km/h) and with a maximum ceiling of 8 meters - it looks more than strange.
Everything is simple here: as soon as the Il-22PP is detected taking off from the airfield, the operators of the same Yastreb will calmly carry out their tasks, and then just as calmly take the drone to a safe distance from the Russian aircraft. And they will do it absolutely calmly, since 300 km/h at maximum speed is an abyss.
But you will have to approach, no one can cancel physics, but it clearly says that radio waves in space (the atmosphere is not free space, if anything) tend to attenuate, depending on many factors, including the power of the transmitter and emitter, ionization, distance to the target receiver and so on. The formulas are cumbersome, but they speak about this absolutely specifically.
And in the end, rolling out an electronic warfare aircraft into the middle of the Black Sea and starting to extinguish everyone in a row is not a good idea. Unlike the quiet “Criminal” (nickname for the Su-57 in the NATO hierarchy), which can approach relatively unnoticed and use something from the available arsenal. Even if the Yastreb is driven to 18 thousand meters, there will still be a huge difference with the Il-22 if a modern jet aircraft is used instead of a turboprop aircraft.
The main problem in our case is simply the terrible inertia of our Ministry of Defense. More than ten years ago, with pomp and special effects, three “Choppers” were assembled on their knees and that was all. If we compare with the Americans, who have more than a hundred Growlers (and how many more are hanging around among the allies), the Europeans (also about a hundred Tornadoes), the Chinese... In general, we are not very good at this.
It is especially sad to understand this, knowing that our KRET makes the best complexes in the world.
The modern world is a very dynamic phenomenon, and the faster you need to adapt to it, the better and the fewer losses. Just yesterday Russia needed normal modern electronic warfare aircraft capable of solving problems in the Black Sea. And these planes are not the ancient Il-22. These are fast and high-altitude vehicles, capable of catching up with a target and knocking it out.
It’s a shame, but once again our military-industrial complex will have to play catch-up. But there’s nothing we can do about it; without solving some problems, we’ll have to start fighting others - that’s our way. The main thing is to start. But we need such machines, capable of gently and accurately sweeping away everything that hangs over the Black Sea, since missiles are simply not possible. Something needs to be done anyway.
And let Austin continue to be hysterical.
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