Armada’s monthly round-up of all the latest electronic warfare news in the product, programme and operational domains.
Where Eagles Dare
Boeing is moving forward with its overhaul of the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15 Eagle series combat aircraft with BAE Systems’ AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS). Boeing announced in January it had delivered the first example of an AN/ALQ-250 F-15E to the United States Air Force (USAF). The aircraft was delivered to the USAF’s 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath airbase in eastern England. Boeing told Armada that all USAF F-15E and F-15EX Eagle-II jets will receive EPAWSS. The AN/ALQ-250 architecture includes Group A and Group B kits. The company said that the Group A kits “include the kitted material and parts for the modification activity for anything on the jet that is wired, tied to the structure, cooling systems, or electrical (equipment).” Group B kits comprise the architecture delivered by BAE Systems. The company statement provided to Armada continued that no additional development work is required for the EPAWSS. Moreover, the system will be made available for F-15 export customers.
Enriching ELINT Analysis
Combitech announced in December 2024 that it will provide the company’s SIROS and SAINT Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) software to Patria. The latter is integrating these software packages into its own ARIS and ARIS-E ELINT systems. Combitech says that SIROS can be used for collecting, visualising and reporting ELINT data. SIROS also assists the storage and management of electronic intelligence. SAINT is an ELINT library management system that helps users ensure that electronic intelligence is up to date. ARIS and ARIS-E are strategic ELINT systems. Both collect and analyse ELINT and contain an Electronic Support Measure (ESM). According to Patria’s literature, the ARIS is largely optimised for ELINT collection with some ESM functionality, with the opposite being the case the ARIS-E. Combitech told Armada that its “SIROS and SAINT software supplement Patria’s ARIS and ARIS-E systems by providing capabilities for long term ELINT data collection, analysis, library development and management of target identification information.” These Combitech software packages are now available for ARIS and ARIS-E customers, the company’s statement added.
New Krypto1000 Capabilities
In early January COMINT Consulting published a press release detailing improvements to the company’s Krypto1000 Communications Intelligence (COMINT) system. The improvements are embedded in a new version of the Very High Frequency (VHF: 30 megahertz/MHz to 300MHz) and Super High Frequency (SHF: three gigahertz/GHz to 30GHz) satellite communications COMINT and signals intelligence software for the Krypto1000 which is designated v1.022. The software release includes new decoders for the MPT-1327 Trunk Mobile Radio System standard, VDL-M2 VHF datalink and links provided by the Orbcomm low Earth orbit communications satellite constellation. The software release also improves the decryption time for encryption schemes like the DMR ARC4 digital mobile radio standard and ADP advanced digital privacy protocol. COMINT Consulting told Armada that the v1.022 software standard is available now for Krypto1000 users and has already been delivered.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
