Electronic Warfare: EA-6B Aircraft Modernization and Related Issues for Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised Dec. 3, 2001 |
| Report Number |
RL30639 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Christopher Bolkcom, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
Congress and the Department of Defense (DoD) face difficult and potentially costly choices
when
considering updating a key facet of the U.S. electronic warfare (EW) force structure. Presently, the
Navy's EA-6B Prowler is the only airborne radar jamming system available to protect Navy, Marine
Corps, and Air Force aircraft. The Prowler, though still capable, is aging and in short supply. Its
retirement is scheduled for 2015.
There has been debate on how much EW is required to protect an aircraft force that increasingly
incorporates stealth technology. However, recent operational experience suggests that future U.S.
military aviation superiority will be best achieved by a combination of EW and stealth techniques.
Indeed, the recent conflict in Kosovo reportedly indicates that the United States needs to augment
the EA-6B force immediately to maintain its capability until a long-term replacement is found.
In the past, Congress has been a strong supporter of the EA-6B specifically, and EW in general.
Congress has consistently increased the administration's request for EA-6B-related procurement
funding over the last five years. The 106th Congress has exhibited continued support for EW by
forming a Congressional Working Group and initiating a Joint Service Electronic Attack Analysis
of Alternatives Study. In December 2001, this study is due to release its roadmap for replacing the
EA-6B fleet specifically, and rejuvenating DoD's electronic attack capabilities in general.
Today and in the near future, Congress will face a variety of decisions about the size and
composition of DoD's EW force structure. In the near-term, Congress faces decisions on how to
maintain and modernize DoD's current active and passive EW force structure. The options Congress
may consider to augment the present EW force include speeding up the planned EA-6B upgrade
program, promoting the development and deployment of smart radar decoys, resurrecting some
number of retired EF-111 radar jamming aircraft, and retroactively putting EW capabilities on
aircraft other than the EA-6B. Congress will also be faced with overseeing DoD's choice of a
permanent replacement for the EA-6B. The options include converting the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet,
the F-15E Strike Eagle, the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-16CJ Fighting Falcon and the F-22 Raptor,
using UAVs, or designing a new EW aircraft. There are a variety of criteria which can be used to
measure the pros and cons of each aircraft. These criteria include the platform's unit cost, operations
and maintenance considerations, whether or not the platform is "joint", and a variety of operational
characteristics that will effect the platform's ability to escort aircraft strike packages in future threat
environments.
Finally, Congress is faced with identifying the potentially high pay-off R&D pathways to
future
EW capabilities in the post 2020 timeframe. Considering the time that many DoD programs require
to move from the drawing board to the field, it has been suggested that new EW technologies be
investigated as soon as FY2001. Two potential future EW platforms that Congress may wish to
investigate include networked, micro-UAVs (un-piloted air vehicles) and satellites.
