An advanced electronic warfare system being developed by BAE Systems for U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets, has passed the critical desig...
An advanced electronic warfare system being developed by BAE Systems for U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets, has passed the critical design review (CDR) milestone.
The Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) will improve survivability of the fourth generation non-stealthy fighter jets while operating in highly contested environments
The EPAWSS offers fully integrated radar warning, geo-location, situational awareness, and self-protection solutions to detect and defeat surface and airborne threats in signal-dense contested and highly contested environments.
Equipped with advanced electronic countermeasures, it enables deeper penetration against modern integrated air defense systems, providing rapid response capabilities to protect the aircrew.
The system is intended to be installed on more than 400 F-15Es and F-15C fighters operated by USAF, and will replace the Tactical Electronic Warfare System, or TEWS.
With the critical design review complete, next steps for EPAWSS include aircraft modification to employ the counter-threat system and then flight testing.
The EPAWSS system collects and processes electromagnetic energy to instantaneously capture a 360-degree aerial field of view to provide a comprehensive picture of the battlespace. This gives the pilot maximum situational awareness, helping to identify, monitor, analyze, and rapidly respond to potential threats.
Using advanced avionics and sensors, the system takes this a step further by detecting and geo-locating electronic emitters to give pilots the option to evade, engage, counter or jam threats.
The system employs Infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF) countermeasures to evade enemy missiles and can deploy 50 per cent more chaff and flares.
The $4 billion program will keep the USAF F-15 fleet viable until 2040.
