$200m Refit to Give Fighter Jets Growl

22 Februari 2012

Boeing EA-18G Growler (image : FlightGlobal)

THE Federal Government will spend more than $200 million to transform six air force fighter jets into hi-tech electronic warfare planes.

The RAAF purchased 24 Boeing Super Hornet fighters under a $6 billion deal with the US Navy to fill the gap between the retirement of the F-111 fighter bomber and the expected delivery of the first batch of 14 Joint Strike Fighter stealth jets later this decade.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith will announce the decision to upgrade the jet fighters early next month to EA-18G models known as "Growlers" to plug an emerging air combat capability gap.

The G-model entered service with the US Navy in 2008 and it allows attacking forces to detect and jam enemy radars to protect friendly aircraft from all known surface-to-air missile threats.

The Growler is the launch platform for the "Next Generation Jammer" that uses advanced radar technology from Northrop Grumman to conduct precision jamming.

Australia purchased 12 Super Hornet fighters wired for the Growler upgrade during the production process at a cost of $35 million. Retro fitting has never been attempted before and will cost between $200 million and $300 million.

News Limited understands that the first aircraft will be converted at the Boeing factory in St Louis and the remainder at Amberley RAAF base near Brisbane.

Meanwhile, Mr Smith is facing criticism from air force brass for his move to buy 12 more Super Hornets to cover the likely delay into service of up to 70 Australian JSFs.

A decision is due by September this year, but the RAAF is arguing against more Super Hornets because they fear that will leave less funds for Joint Strike Fighters.

"The RAAF doesn't want to run two types of fighter jets," a source said. Mr Smith told theAustralian Defence Magazine congress in Canberra yesterday that Defence would be expected to deliver a further contribution from its $27 billion budget to the government's quest for a surplus this year.

"The current 2012-13 Budget process will also examine whether Defence is able to make a further contribution to the Government's Budget bottom line," he said.

Defence budget analyst Mark Thomson said Mr Smith had taken a "shot across the bow" of Defence before the May budget. "They will be going through this budget with a finetooth comb," he said.

(Adelaide Now)

EA-6B Prowler

EA-6B Prowler

Setiap kali pengerahan kekuatan kapal induk, hamper bisa dipastikan pesawat EA-6B Prowler dilibatkan. Terutama untuk melindungi unit armada permukaan dan pesawat lain dengan cara mengacaukan radar dan komunikasi musuh. Prowler bisa dibilang sebagai bagian integral dari basis pertahanan armada. Solo karier Prowler dimulai sejak dilakukannya restrukrisasi asset Departemen Pertahan di tahun 1995. Saai itu EF-111 Raven dipensiunkan sehingga tinggal Prowler sebagai satu-satunya pengacau radar bagi Departemen Pertahanan.

Prowler merupakan asset nasional yang tidak hanya dikerahakan dari darat tapi juga dari kapal induk. Kemampuan Prowler untukmemonitor spektrum elektromagnetik dan secara aktih melemahkan penggunaan radar dan komunikasi lawan tak tertandingi oleh platform apapun didunia.

Awak Prowler terdiri dari satu pilot dan perwira elektronik penangkal.jantung dari EA-6B adalah ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System. Termasuk didalamnya receiver, procecor, dan pod jammer dalam konfigurasi berbagai misi yang diusung sebagai perangkat eksternal. Prowler memiliki USQ-113 Communication Jammer. Bagian pertama system pertahanan udara musuh yang menangkal serangan adalah radar Early Warning (EW). System pertahanan udara yang mengandalkan EW ini mengidikasi arah dan lokasi pasukan AS yang mendekati musuh. Prowler yang dikerahkan dengan kemampuan serang dan megeluarkan sinyal pengacau ke radar EW kemampuan musuh untuk mendektesi kehadiran bisa berkurang besar. EA-6B dapat menembakkan rudal HARM yang dipandu dengan energi radiasi hingga misi tercapai dengan hancurnya radar musuh.

Prowler dikembangkan dari pesawat serbu dua kursi A-6 Intruder. Kerangka dasarnya diperpanjang dan diperkuat untuk mengakomodasi kokpit empat kursi. Produksi EA-6B sudah dihentikan sejak 1991 setelah rampungnya 170 pesawat. Masa pension Prowler akan dimulai tahun 2010 setelah menjalankan karier lebih dari 40 tahun mendukung AL AS, K orp Marinir AS dan AU AS.

Spesifikasi :

Role Electronic Warfare

Manufacturer Grumman

Northrop Grumman

First flight 25 May 1968

Introduced July 1971

Status Active Primary users U.S. Navy

U.S. Marine Corps

Number built 170

Unit cost $52 million

Developed from Grumman A-6 Intruder

General characteristics

• Crew: four (one pilot, three electronic countermeasures officers)

• Length: 59 ft 10 in (17.7 m)

• Wingspan: 53 ft (15.9 m)

• Height: 16 ft 8 in (4.9 m)

• Wing area: 528.9 ft² (49.1 m²)

• Empty weight: 31,160 lb (15,130 kg)

• Max takeoff weight: 61,500 lb (27,900 kg)

• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney J52-P408A turbojet, 10,400 lbf (46 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 566 knots (651 mph, 1,050 km/h)

• Cruise speed: 418 kt (481 mph, 774 km/h)

• Range: 2,022 mi (tanks kept) / 2,400 mi (tanks dropped)[citation needed] (3,254 km / 3,861 km)

• Service ceiling: 37,600 ft (11,500 m)

• Rate of climb: 12,900 ft/min (65 m/s)

• Wing loading: 116 lb/ft² (560 kg/m²)

• Thrust/weight: 0.34

Armament

• Up to 4 AGM-88 HARM antiradar missiles

• Up to 5 ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System (TJS) external pods

• Up to 5 300 gallon external drop tanks

Avionics

• ALQ-99 on board receiver (OBS), ALQ-99 pod mounted jamming system (TJS)

• USQ-113 communications jamming system

EF-111A Raven

EF-111A Raven

General Dynamics / Grumman EF-111A Raven adalah sebuah pesawat perang elektronik yang dirancang untuk menggantikan pesawat Douglas EB-66 di dalam layanan Angkatan Udara Amerika Serikat. Crew penerbangan dan penyelenggaraannya sering kali disebut sebagai "Spark-Vark".

Pada tahun 1972, pihak Angkatan Udara Amerika Serikat menganugerahkan kontrak ke perusahaan Grumman untuk memodifikasi pesawat General Dynamics F-111A ada mereka ke sebuah pesawat perang elektronik / ECM. Pihak Angkatan Udara Amerika Serikat mempertimbangkan pesawat Grumman EA-6B Prowler yang digunakan di dalam layanan Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat, akan tetapi enggan untuk menggunakan. Setelah petunjuk pesawat EF-111 dihentikan pada tahun 1990-an, Angkatan Laut AS mulai tergantung pada skuadron pesawat EA-6B milik Angkatan Laut AS dan Korps Marinir Amerika Serikat EA-6B di dalam peperangan elektronik.

Role Electronic warfare

Manufacturer General Dynamics, conversion by Grumman

First flight 10 March 1977

Introduced 1981 Retired 1998

Status Retired Primary user United States Air Force

Number built 42

Unit cost US$15 million + $25 million each for conversion

Developed from F-111 Aardvark

General characteristics

• Crew: Two: pilot and electronic warfare officer

• Length: 76.0 ft (23.17 m)

• Wingspan: 63.0 ft spread, 32.0 ft swept (19.2 m / 9.74 m)

• Height: 20.0 ft (6.1 m)

• Wing area: 657.4 ft² spread, 525 ft² swept (61.07 m² / 48.77 m²)

• Airfoil: NACA 64-210.68 root, NACA 64-209.80 tip

• Empty weight: 55,275 lb (25,072 kg)

• Loaded weight: 70,000 lb[16] (31,751 kg)

• Max takeoff weight: 89,000 lb (40,370 kg)

• Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-3 initially, later upgraded to TF30-P-9 turbofans with afterburner, 19,600 lbf (TF30-P-9) (92.7 kN (TF30-P-9)) each

• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0186 (F-111D)

• Drag area: 9.36 ft² (0.87 m²) (F-111D)

• Aspect ratio: 7.56 unswept; 1.95 fully swept (F-111D)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (1,460 mph, 2,350 km/h) ; above 30,000 ft

• Range: 2,000 miles (1,740 nmi, 3,220 km)

• Ferry range: 3,800 mi (3,300 nmi, 6,110 km)

• Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,715 m)

• Rate of climb: 11,000 ft/min (3,353 m/min)

• Thrust/weight: 0.598

• Lift-to-drag ratio: 15.8 (F-111)