U.S. Air Force amps up F‑15 fleet with advanced electronic warfare system
The United States has successfully concluded testing of the AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS electronic warfare system, designed for use in F-15E and F-15EX aircraft. This advancement equips these jets with cutting-edge capabilities to neutralize threats within the electromagnetic spectrum. Despite lacking stealth technology by design, their detectability will be significantly reduced.
The completion of trials for the AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS, an advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) system, signifies a pivotal advancement for the F-15 series. This upgrade endows the F-15E and F-15EX models with enhanced offensive and defensive tools.
This modernization effort will exclude the older F-15C/D variants. Although partially upgraded to the Golden Eagle standard, these models are scheduled for gradual decommissioning.
BAE Systems, the developer of the AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS system, states that it equips the host aircraft with capabilities on par with the latest 5th generation fighters, such as the F-35 Lightning II, which boasts the AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda EW system, and the F-22 Raptor, outfitted with the AN/ALR-94 EW system.
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As a result, aircraft fitted with the EPAWSS are anticipated to remain operational until at least 2040. But what exactly is the AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS electronic warfare system?
The AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS Electronic Warfare System
The AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS (Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System) is a state-of-the-art digital electronic warfare system supporting defensive and offensive maneuvers. It provides capabilities like jamming enemy radar operations, complicating tracking and targeting efforts, and generating deceptive radar images.
Significant electronic advancements bolster this system's effectiveness, enabling it to operate without disrupting the aircraft's radar and RWR (warning and reconnaissance devices).
Operating in sync with AESA radar pulses, the EPAWSS is a jammer during the radar's wait for return signals, interfering with other radars’ operations.
EPWASS's operation characteristics are fine-tuned to either minimize the host aircraft's detectability or, when invisibility is unachievable, project a false radar signature several miles away.
