Officials close to the project told Armada studies on the LUWES concept commenced around five years ago.
This includes stand-off jamming and escort electronic attack aircraft, Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and stand-in jammers. These assets will be supported by new mission planning, battle management, mission data, and command and control systems.
The officials were speaking during the 2023 Association of Old Crows’ Electronic Warfare Europe exhibition and conference held in the western German city of Bonn between 15th and 17th May. A group of eight companies; Airbus, bKEC, Hensoldt, IBM, MBDA, PLATH, Rohde & Schwarz and Schönhofer are developing the LUWES concept. This grouping pools together several different work strands germane to the Luftwaffe’s S/DEAD posture pursued by these companies, the official continued.
Officials added that they soon expect to make recommendations to the MOD on potential implementation strategies for the LUWES architecture.
The LUWES architecture will be knitted together using standard NATO Link-11 and Link-16 Tactical Datalinks (TDLs). Also vital will be NATO’s Cooperative Electronic Support Measures (CESMO) TDL designed specifically to handle EW relevant information.
LUWES CONOPs
CONOPs for LUWES have been refined through simulation and hardware exercises mounted by the companies above. One test last November involved a S/DEAD effort waged against an IADS protecting a country where NATO nations were tasked with evacuating foreign nationals. The international community’s recent evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan highlight the IADS threat during such undertakings. Fortunately, no aircraft involved in the evacuation were lost through deliberate or accidental actions.
Platforms
The LUWES architecture is scalable to the operation at hand. Tactical emitter targets of opportunity could be engaged by platforms and effectors during the enforcement of a No-Fly Zone for example. Likewise, the architecture could support a prolonged operational/strategic level air campaign against a near-peer adversary. Stand-off radar and communications jamming will be performed by a suitably-equipped large aircraft. The eight companies are suggesting converted A400Ms as potential platforms. This aircraft would be configured as a stand-off jammer also capable of attacking emitters with cyber effects. It would fly outside the engagement envelope of the radar and kinetic ground-based air defences equipping an IADS.
A second echelon would be deployed closer to the threat and focus on an escort jamming capability provided by the Typhoon-EW, and their soft and hard kill capabilities. The latter includes Northrop Grumman AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles and electronic jamming pods. Finally, stand-in jammers will be deployed in the so-called No Escape Zone. This is where the lethal engagement zones of the enemy’s ground-based air defences are their most dangerous. MBDA’s SPEAR-EW (Selected Precision Effects at Range – Electronic Warfare) air-launched decoy is one potential solution to this part of the requirement. Beyond these assets, the LUWES elements will receive mission data across the communications links above from the Luftwaffe’s forthcoming Bombardier G-6500 Pegasus signals intelligence aircraft. Three of these will enter service between 2029 and 2032, the conference was told. Officials stressed that other relevant conduits such as Satellite Communications (SATCOM) will also be harnessed as and when needed.
Into Service
LUWES will gather momentum with the introduction of the Typhoon-EW from circa 2030. Ten jets are being pledged by Germany to support its NATO SEAD commitments. Up to ten stand-off jamming aircraft may also be procured towards the end of this decade or in the early 2030s. An escort jammer will be integrated onboard the Typhoon-EW, the type of which has yet to be decided. Similarly, there is the possibility that the SEAD force will incorporate UAVs acting as wingmen to provide additional EW escort and stand-in support.
Eurofighter Partner Nations Bracing For 150-200 New Orders
Mezzanatto will not elaborate on sales campaigns, but notes Spain’s interest in acquiring around 25 Eurofighters for its planned Halcon II fighter requirement to begin replacing the country’s McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C/D Hornets. He says Poland is “a really good opportunity,” as Warsaw mulls acquisition of an air superiority aircraft.
Other potential sales could be Saudi Arabia’s long-awaited Batch 2 purchase of at least 48 aircraft that could replace the country’s Panavia Tornado fleet, while BAE Systems is leading a campaign to sell the aircraft in Turkey to replace the country’s F-4 Phantoms.
He says work is underway to bring the so-called Phase 4 Enhancements (P4E) program onto contract by the end of the year, enabling an initial operating capacity by 2028.
P4E is seen as essential for Germany in bringing roles currently performed by its Panavia Tornado platform onto the Eurofighter, including the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) and long-range strike. In the days leading up to the show, Germany selected a Saab-developed electronic warfare system called Arexis, which will be assessed to see how it can be integrated onto the aircraft.
Other changes planned for P4E include the integration of the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk. 1, which will be a feature of the 38 Quadriga aircraft being acquired by Germany and the 20 Halcon project aircraft being purchased by Spain.
It is also expected that P4E changes will involve the Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile that is currently launched from the Tornado in Germany and by the F/A-18 Hornet in Spain. Further P4E alterations could also involve the Northrop Grumman Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) for the SEAD/DEAD task.
Future upgrades, including the P5E and P6E, would begin to introduce elements from the Eurofighter’s planned Long-Term Evolution initiative, including a mid-life update. Eurofighter is following a 10-year roadmap of development that has been endorsed by the defense ministers of the four core nations, Mezzanatto adds.
Mezzanatto adds that he wants to realign the European core-nation fleet of Eurofighters following significant divergence between the fleets. The UK Royal Air Force has taken a significant lead over other Eurofighter nations in the introduction of new capabilities, such as the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, and standoff weapons, like the Storm Shadow cruise missile. Other partner nations have barely begun carrying the Meteor, let alone using it operationally on Quick Reaction Alert missions.
“One of my objectives in this mandate ... is to try to align as much as possible the fleet of our customers,” Mezzanatto says. “This will be to the best advantage of the nations.”
Zu sehen sind die LERX (Leading Edge Root Extensions) an der Flügelwurzel in hellerem Blau.
Bemerkenswert ist zudem, dass die halb-versenkte Raketenaufhängung am "Bauch" in eine Aufhängung für den Litening-Pod umgewandelt wurde. Normalerweise ist der Pod zentral aufgehängt.
opticartini hat geschrieben: ↑Do 22. Jun 2023, 00:03
Eurofighter-Modell bei der Paris Air Show:
Zu sehen sind die LERX (Leading Edge Root Extensions) an der Flügelwurzel in hellerem Blau.
Bemerkenswert ist zudem, dass die halb-versenkte Raketenaufhängung am "Bauch" in eine Aufhängung für den Litening-Pod umgewandelt wurde. Normalerweise ist der Pod zentral aufgehängt.
Vor Jahren einmal Flog die 98+07 GS0029 in Manching ein Testprogramm mit erweiterten LERX. Wurde aber anscheinend nicht weiterverfolgt.
Auch die DA-1 flog mit erweiterten LERX deswegen auch die engen Radien bei niedriger Geschwindigkeit die nie ein Serien EF fliegen kann. Ist auch gut auf älteren Videos zu sehen.
Aber was ich weiß bleibt es nur beim Moke up und wird auch bei der T4 nicht weiter verfolgt. Warum auch immer.
Es ist schon länger in Planung zb den LDP oder Recce Pod anstatt an der CWP an den vorderen MEL zu bringen. Auch ist geplant die 1000l SFTs von den MFRL in die IWP Stationen zu bringen um eventuell Taurus und 3 SFTs oder später 1800l Tanks mitführen zu können.
Italien wird seine Eurofighter der Tranche 1 außer Dienst stellen:
Italy’s Air Force Rebuilds For The Future
Operating alongside the F-35 into the 2030s will be Italy’s Eurofighters, a type primarily used for air defense but growing its swing-role capability with ground-attack missions and reconnaissance tasks with the Rafael RecceLite pod.
“[The] Eurofighter is now fully established on a dense progressive technical improvement program,” Ippoliti said. “But the improvement of the radar with the new electronically scanned array is the main effort we need to take care of right now.”
Italy is monitoring progress with the UK-led development of the European Common Radar System Mk. 2, and the Italian defense electronics arm of Leonardo is supporting those efforts.
Although the Global Combat fighter is planned to replace the Typhoon, the Italian Air Force expects to have a mixed fleet of fourth-, fifth- and sixth-generation combat aircraft in its inventory for several years during the transition. To support that evolution, the service is exploring life extension options for some of the Typhoons, notably the Tranche 3 aircraft. The earlier Tranche 1 models, largely used for training, will be phased out in the coming years, Bruni said.
