Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 25, 2006 23:33:17 GMT 12
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19905245-1702,00.html
Fighters tipped to be top spy planes
By Max Blenkin
July 25, 2006
THE nation's new F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter (JSF) will feature advanced electronic spying capabilities once possessed only by special electronic intelligence gathering aircraft.
That will allow RAAF Lightnings to monitor ground communications, gather intelligence and conduct surveillance in a manner no Australian combat aircraft has ever been able to do before.
Every one of as many as 100 Australian JSF aircraft will possess the advanced capability – although the full extent remains top secret.
A spokeswoman for the Australian Defence Force confirmed the JSF would possess substantial abilities.
"The joint strike fighter will have an advanced suite of electronic sensors including electronic support measures that will make it highly capable in the battle space of the future," she said.
"However, details of this capability and how it might be utilised by the ADF is classified."
The RAAF has four F-111 strike bombers specially modified for aerial reconnaissance.
It is planned that they and the rest of the F-111 fleet will be retired from 2010.
The RAAF also has 19 AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, each with substantial ability to conduct surveillance over sea and land.
It has long been rumoured that one or more Orions were secretly fitted with advanced electronic surveillance equipment.
Both the Government and defence have consistently denied such claims.
Reports from the US suggest the JSF will come with inbuilt surveillance equipment to allow it to do the same job as specialised electronic warfare aircraft without any trade-off in the ability to perform combat missions.
The US Defence Industry Daily (DID) website said Pentagon officials were becoming more willing to discuss the capabilities of both the JSF and the F/A-22 Raptor fighter as both programs come under threat of downsizing or even cancellation.
It said it had now been revealed that both would excel in reconnaissance and electronic eavesdropping.
"The aircraft's combination of powerful phased array AESA radars, passive electromagnetic antennas and sensors embedded throughout their frames, powerful onboard computer processing, and secure high-bandwidth communications will give them capabilities once available only to dedicated electronic attack aircraft," it said.
DID said the embedded sensors would allow the JSF and Raptor planes to rapidly identify and locate signals and assess threats through powerful onboard computers.
Experiments in the US are also indicating the JSF's advanced radar may also be employed as a secure, ultra-high bandwidth communications link.
That would allow one JSF to communicate its intelligence material to another JSF or even to a Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft.
In the case of the Raptor, it has been suggested its powerful radar could eventually serve as a weapon, focusing sufficient energy to burn out enemy radars.
Fighters tipped to be top spy planes
By Max Blenkin
July 25, 2006
THE nation's new F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter (JSF) will feature advanced electronic spying capabilities once possessed only by special electronic intelligence gathering aircraft.
That will allow RAAF Lightnings to monitor ground communications, gather intelligence and conduct surveillance in a manner no Australian combat aircraft has ever been able to do before.
Every one of as many as 100 Australian JSF aircraft will possess the advanced capability – although the full extent remains top secret.
A spokeswoman for the Australian Defence Force confirmed the JSF would possess substantial abilities.
"The joint strike fighter will have an advanced suite of electronic sensors including electronic support measures that will make it highly capable in the battle space of the future," she said.
"However, details of this capability and how it might be utilised by the ADF is classified."
The RAAF has four F-111 strike bombers specially modified for aerial reconnaissance.
It is planned that they and the rest of the F-111 fleet will be retired from 2010.
The RAAF also has 19 AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, each with substantial ability to conduct surveillance over sea and land.
It has long been rumoured that one or more Orions were secretly fitted with advanced electronic surveillance equipment.
Both the Government and defence have consistently denied such claims.
Reports from the US suggest the JSF will come with inbuilt surveillance equipment to allow it to do the same job as specialised electronic warfare aircraft without any trade-off in the ability to perform combat missions.
The US Defence Industry Daily (DID) website said Pentagon officials were becoming more willing to discuss the capabilities of both the JSF and the F/A-22 Raptor fighter as both programs come under threat of downsizing or even cancellation.
It said it had now been revealed that both would excel in reconnaissance and electronic eavesdropping.
"The aircraft's combination of powerful phased array AESA radars, passive electromagnetic antennas and sensors embedded throughout their frames, powerful onboard computer processing, and secure high-bandwidth communications will give them capabilities once available only to dedicated electronic attack aircraft," it said.
DID said the embedded sensors would allow the JSF and Raptor planes to rapidly identify and locate signals and assess threats through powerful onboard computers.
Experiments in the US are also indicating the JSF's advanced radar may also be employed as a secure, ultra-high bandwidth communications link.
That would allow one JSF to communicate its intelligence material to another JSF or even to a Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft.
In the case of the Raptor, it has been suggested its powerful radar could eventually serve as a weapon, focusing sufficient energy to burn out enemy radars.