ELECTRONIC WARFARE AIRCRAFT TURNING UP THE JAMMING POWER IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC

摘要

Australia has one of the most potent EW aircraft fleets in the region, flying 11 Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, which are equipped with the AN/ALQ-99 tactical jamming system. The Royal Australian Air Force is also getting four MC-55A Peregrine electronic warfare support aircraft, based on Gulfstream G550 business jets. These will work in conjunction with Lockheed Martin F-35s and Boeing E-7 Wedgetails, which have respectable EW capabilities in their own rights. China has developed a multitude of EW aircraft, and regularly deploys them around its territory. Chinese intelligence-gathering aircraft include at least two variants of the Tupolev Tu-154, equipped with antennas for signals intelligence (SIGINT) - one version carries what is believed to be a synthetic aperture radar (SAR). These aircraft have regularly been intercepted off Japan's home islands, and have accompanied Xian H-6K bombers. At least four were initially converted and served in the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) from the mid-1990s, but recent imagery shows that at least five more have been converted.