Vietnam-era Navy plane takes aim at new enemy: Iraq's roadside bombs

San Diego Union Tribune ^ | June 12, 2007 | Jim Krane, AP

[RDTF]

ABOARD THE USS NIMITZ IN THE GULF – A secret aircraft that debuted in Vietnam and usually protects U.S. fighter jets has taken on a different and crucial task over Iraq – trying to stop the scourge of roadside bombs by jamming ground signals from mobile phones and garage door openers. The EA-6B Prowler is thought to be one of the most effective U.S. weapons against the bombs, the biggest killer of American service members in Iraq. But no one can be sure: Even supporters say its effectiveness is hard to measure.

The aircraft debuted at the tail end of Vietnam and was used in Kosovo and the 1991 Gulf War, escorting U.S. attack jets while jamming military radios, hostile radars and air defense batteries aimed at them. These days the Prowler focuses its jammers on smaller signals: those of mobile phones and garage door openers that are used to trigger roadside bombs in Iraq, said U.S. Navy Capt. David Woods, 49, of Ogden, Utah.

Often, it's hard to prove that a roadside bomb failed to explode because of Prowler jamming signals, Woods said. Still, he's confident the plane is making a difference against the bombs, which the military calls improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

“When it's flying we have greater success and fewer IEDs going off,” Woods said. “It's kind of an insurance policy.”

Woods, the commander of Carrier Air Wing Eleven and one of the Navy's most experienced Prowler pilots, says few people understand the EA-6B's mission, which is to control the electromagnetic spectrum so allies can use it – but not enemies.

The Prowler and its electronic warfare system is so valuable it has never been exported – even to close allies. Details about the training of crew members are secret.

[stm]

It carries HARM, an anti-radiation missile used to destroy radar facilities.

[NYFriend]

I’m under 40, and I know what OPSEC means, but I can’t tell you on this forum, because it is not secure and may endanger the continued use of the term.

BTW, how did the media find out about how and why we are using the EA-6B? I’m thinking there may be some advantage to this information being published.

[monocle]

It could be a matter of angles. Electomagnetic radiation travels in a straight line and possibly cannot effectively directed downwardly at safe distances.

[El Gato]

The Navy is going in the wrong direction entirely by trying to replace this aircraft with a version of the Hornet. Crew will be reduced by 50% and the process will have to be automated considerably to accomodate the loss of crew.

Considering the age of the Prowler and it's electronics systems, that should not be a problem. The EF-111, which had the same mission and used some of the same equipment, only had a two man crew. If the A-6 had been upgraded with new wing and engines, (a version of the Hornet's engines IIRC) as planned, the Prowler would have benefited from that as well. As is, the Prowler likely is much more maintenance intensive than the Growler (EF-18) which will replace it.

The really sick thing was pulling the EF-111 out of service and NOT replacing it with a more modern airframe. We'd have a bunch more platforms out there jamming the IEDs if the Air Force also had a dedicated jamming platform.

[Does so]

Is there a smaller version of this device that could be carried into a movie theater or restaurant? :)

They are legally used in Japan in those places. Maybe their range isn't effective enough for IEDs.

[ASA Vet]

MI Ping

Tip off by Old Sarge

OPSEC is dead and so will be a few US forces because of it.

[unspun]

Hey, weren't some fine young "American" men going around and buying massive amounts of cell phones, just a while back?

Good thing "Homeland Security" let them off "Scott (I mean, Shiite, or was that Suni?) free!"

[rjsimmon]

So does the Prowler carry any conventional weapons at all (ie: a 50 cal, or any other projectiles)? I’ve always liked the look of the plane, just don’t know too much about it.

She does not carry conventional, as in guns, but we do carry the HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile). But they only work against emitting devices in certain frequency bands.

[Dead Dog]

Be kinda fun to set off IEDs by satelite.

[Alter Kaker]

That is, if anyone under age 40 knows what OPSEC means, anymore...

Don't be ridiculous -- I just saw Geraldo do a report on OPSEC on Fox News. He's something of an expert.

[kilowhskey]

by jamming ground signals from mobile phones

Is there a smaller version of this device that could be carried into a movie theater or restaurant? :)

Is there a smaller version of this device that could be used to disable automobiles with 2,000 watt sound systems?

[rjsimmon]

It could be a matter of angles. Electomagnetic radiation travels in a straight line and possibly cannot effectively directed downwardly at safe distances.

It's all in the shape of the antenna...

[wastedyears]

I said older, not ancient.

:)

[null and void]

Yes. They were going to multiple walmarts, buy quantities just below the reporting threshold, and stripping them out of the packaging in the back of the van while in transit.

They claimed that they were buying them at retail in the US to sell on behalf of the prophet at a profit in Swarthistan.

Nothing to see here, move along...™

[Old Sarge]

Hmmm... can you say, “Canary Trap”, boys and girls?

[L,TOWM]

I would like to see roads in Iraq lined with transmitting repeaters that pulse signals up and down the frequency spectrum.

Jihadi A-hole plants IED, arms the device, and endures the embarrasment of premature detonation.

[Dumpster Baby]

Lots of real old technology. Advantage is the number and power level of jammers.

Note the off-the-shelf AOR AR-3000 police scanner stuck in a hole in the rear electronic warfare panel:

[rjsimmon]

Please bear with me a sec because I'm not schooled in electronic warfare but have a question regarding it. Since the USQ-113 is capable of broadcasting "noise" at various frequencies and waveforms, effectively jamming signals that contain the "information" needed to communicate with the IED device, wouldn't it be possible to program it to broadcast "intelligent noise". In otherwords, run a program that broadcasts permutations of cell phone numbers or garage door opener signals? I understand that there would be billions of possible numbers, but at computing speeds we aren't talking of an impossible task.

How the USQ works and any specifics is classified and I cannot discuss it. But I can give an unclassified example. We used to take .wav files of Bart Simpson or recorded radio conversations and play them over base frequency to keep the ODO on his feet.

However, the processing speed of the USQ is not the issue, how the target device receives the waveform is.