Electronic warfare aircraft
A military aircraft equipped to detect, disrupt, deceive, or otherwise counter an adversary’s electronic systems, especially radar and communications.
Electronic warfare: Military action that uses the electromagnetic spectrum to sense, protect, disrupt, or deceive electronic systems. The aircraft is a platform for conducting electronic warfare from the air.
EA-18G Growler: A carrier-based U.S. Navy electronic warfare aircraft derived from the F/A-18F Super Hornet. It is a modern dedicated platform for escort jamming and suppression of enemy air defenses.
Electromagnetic spectrum: The full range of electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and other forms. Electronic warfare aircraft operate in selected portions of this spectrum to sense or affect systems.
Wild Weasel: A mission and aircraft role focused on locating and attacking enemy surface-to-air missile systems. Wild Weasel aircraft often destroy emitters, while electronic warfare aircraft may disrupt them without firing.
Operation Desert Storm: The 1991 U.S.-led military campaign to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Electronic warfare aircraft supported coalition air operations against Iraq’s integrated air defenses.
Radar jamming: The deliberate transmission or manipulation of signals to impair an adversary’s radar operation. Airborne jammers can mask aircraft or reduce an enemy radar’s ability to track them.
EF-111A Raven: A U.S. Air Force electronic warfare aircraft adapted from the F-111 Aardvark and retired in 1998. Its combat history illustrates the use of fast, long-range jamming aircraft to protect strike formations.
Radar: A system that detects objects by transmitting radio waves and analyzing their reflections. Radar is a principal target of airborne detection, jamming, and deception.
Airborne early warning and control: An airborne command-and-surveillance function that detects aircraft and coordinates friendly forces. It uses airborne sensors primarily to build and manage an air picture, not to counter electronic systems.
Integrated air defense system: A coordinated network of sensors, command centers, and weapons used to defend airspace. Such networks create the complex, connected targets that electronic warfare aircraft seek to disrupt.