Thread: Can AESA be jammed?

[QUOTE=Chunder;708460]Against a Western force it is a massive fail.[QUOTE]

How so? A non-AESA equipped force fighting against Western force with non-stealthy AESA equipped fighters like the upgraded F-15C's or the later model F-18E is likely to lose anyway, because the Western fighters can see, identify and hit before the enemy can. The situation would be even worse against a stealthy fighter like the F-22. However, if the non-AESA equipped force jams their radars they have to fight WVR. That would even the odds enormously, even if the non AESA radars are jammed in the process. If the non-AESA force operates IRST and IR missiles capable of BVR shots equipped fighters, as are the latest SU-30's or the Eurocanards, then they would actually be at an advantage against the AESA equipped aircraft.

Originally Posted by Chunder

Not to mention that

a)the technology needs to actually be developed beyond theory
b)AESA is definitely not exclusive to 'stealth fighters'.
c)Said technology has to actually be put into practice, put on a platform, operationally tested, fielded in numbers, etc etc.

We are only talking about barrage jamming which has been around for eons. Basically it involves an EW platform transmitting across the entire spectrum that the enemy radar operates on. The Russians have built offensive jammers for their own use previously and the Russian scientific institute KNIRTI is now marketing an offensive jammer system for the SU-XX series called the SAP-14. I don't have the details of its capabilities but I would be very surprised if it didn't include barrage jamming. So, it seems to me that the only real step left in your list is for customers such as China and India to buy the jammers in numbers.

See links for more info.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs...2-3004eb28a9aa

Jammers help keepRussian fighters alive: AINonline

AG, your misinterpreting what I said, you need to re-read the post in it's context. It assumes the Jamming force is equal to the detection capabilities that the opponent has at their disposal. By Jamming all frequencies, especially against expeditionary forces you actually make objective targets easier to hit. Highsea has considerable background knowledge on jamming so I'd defer to him.

Originally Posted by Chunder

AG, your misinterpreting what I said, you need to re-read the post in it's context. It assumes the Jamming force is equal to the detection capabilities that the opponent has at their disposal. By Jamming all frequencies, especially against expeditionary forces you actually make objective targets easier to hit.

Sorry, you'll have to explain what you mean a bit more clearly.

Originally Posted by Aussiegunner

Sorry, you'll have to explain what you mean a bit more clearly.

Mate, there is no way in hell reducing the effectiveness of any AESA equipped fighter comparative to legacy platforms increases your effectiveness.

You are now fighting blind, against a force that knows where it's going and what it wants to bomb, and more than likely has the tech to find the jamming source.

Originally Posted by Chunder

AG, your misinterpreting what I said, you need to re-read the post in it's context. It assumes the Jamming force is equal to the detection capabilities that the opponent has at their disposal. By Jamming all frequencies, especially against expeditionary forces you actually make objective targets easier to hit. Highsea has considerable background knowledge on jamming so I'd defer to him.

Ok, having thought about it I think that I understand that you are suggesting that the defending force would only succeed in jamming their own equipment (SAM radars etc), while not achieving anything with respect to the opposing force. Is this correct?

My understanding is that a basic jammer works the same way as I am if I hold the transmit button down on my CB radio, all other radios on the same frequency within range can't operate because my signal interferes with their operation. I know that there are other techniques that are used like sending back timed signals to create false images, but I think that what I describe is the basic theory of the way a jammer operates. With a barrage jammer the equipment transmits across the entire range of frequencies that the opposing radar does. What I don't understand and which I am very happy to be corrected on in detail, is why an AESA radar can't be jammed in this fashion. Do they operate on a different range of frequencies than other radars? That is the only possible explanation that I can come up with.

Originally Posted by Chunder

Mate, there is no way in hell reducing the effectiveness of any AESA equipped fighter comparative to legacy platforms increases your effectiveness.

You are now fighting blind, against a force that knows where it's going and what it wants to bomb, and more than likely has the tech to find the jamming source.

As indicated I thought that was what you were saying, but I'd still appreciate a technical answer on why AESA radars can't be jammed with barrage jamming.