PMA209 2012 Core Avionics Master Plan - NAVAIR - U.S. Navy

Core Avionics Master Plan 2012 Appendix A-6The F/A-18 T3F Launcher for the AN/ALE-50A and the AN/ALE-55 AdvancedAirborne Expendable are designed to seduce incoming RF-guided missiles away fromthe aircraft in the endgame phase of an enemy missile's flight. The decoys are launchedwhen needed and towed behind the host aircraft until it is severed before landing. TheAN/ALE-55 is an advanced Fiber Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) that is capable of moreadvance techniques than the AN/ALE-50. Both Decoys use the version of the AN/ALE-50A launcher. The complete system uses the Integrated Multiple Launch Controller(IMPLC) Dispenser and the towed decoy.Expendable IR Countermeasures (IRCM): The IRCM decoy deploys from theAN/ALE-47 CMDS and is a device designed to provide an alternative heat source andseduce the threat missile away from the aircraft towards the flare. Its function is to actas a false target or decoy to the approaching heat-seeking missile. When dispensedfrom the target platform, the flare falls away in such a way as to divert the threat missilefrom the target. Because of the complexity of advance threat missiles and the lack ofSA about which missile type is inbound, comprehensive techniques utilizing multipledecoys must be devised and tailored for each type aircraft.RF Passive Countermeasures: Also deploying from the AN/ALE-47, chaff is one ofthe most widely used and effective expendable self-protection devices, a form ofvolumetric radar clutter consisting of multiple metalized radar reflectors designed tointerfere with and confuse radar operation. It is dispensed into the atmosphere to denyradar acquisition, generate false targets, and to deny or disrupt radar tracking. Chaff isdesigned to be dispensed from an aircraft and function for a limited period.Active RF Expendable Jammers: Active RF expendable jammers are designed toprovide endgame protection for tactical aircraft against SAM and AAM radar guidedmissiles.2. Funded Enhancements and Potential Pursuits.Power PC Processor. (2010) The AN/ALE-47(V) currently uses a 16-bit MIL-STD-1750A Central Processing Unit (CPU) as the main processor. Due to the age of thearchitecture, the 1750A does not provide the needed growth or capability required of theAN/ALE-47 in future years. Availability, memory restrictions, throughput restrictions andincreased maintenance costs are all mission vulnerabilities created by the continueduse of the 1750A processor. In order to reduce these mission vulnerabilities theDepartment of the Navy is planning to replace the 1750A CPU with a Power PCprocessor. The AN/ALE-47(V) can be integrated with on-board systems to receiveaircraft attitude, altitude and airspeed as well as threat angle of arrival (AOA), range,etc. The capability to use these parameters to optimize dispense program effectivenessand expendable consumption, also known as Smart Dispensing, is being pursued foraircraft with integrated systems.Enhanced Expendables. (2012) The expendables used in the AN/ALE-47dispenser system are constantly being upgraded with technological enhancements toimprove safety, reliability or producibility, and to increase their effectiveness against theadvanced IR and RF threat. A replacement for the GEN-X Electronic Decoy is currentlybeing studied to provide a capability required for future contingencies. Advances inpyrotechnic and pyrophoric type decoys are being pursued to enhance countermeasureA-6 Self Protection 4