Issue Brief #9
June 28, 2001

Improving Electronic Warfare Training for America’s Pilots

American military pilots face numerous threats during combat operations, including enemy aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) and surface to air missiles (SAMs).  In recent air operations, adversaries have refrained from direct air-to-air combat and have instead relied heavily on SAMs and to a lesser extent AAA to attack U.S. aircraft.  While our forces preformed extremely well in both the Gulf War and in Kosovo, we should not be lulled into a false sense of security. We cannot assume that flying over enemy territory is safe or that the current level of performance will exist in perpetuity. As we shape defense policy for the 21st Century, we must prepare for the proliferation of advanced SAMs, and this means our pilots must be prepared.

In the Gulf War the U.S. quickly destroyed the Iraqis integrated air defenses systems (IADS).  In Kosovo, while we only lost two aircraft, an F-16 and an F-117, the IADS were never destroyed.  Adversaries have learned over time to use effective tactics and countermeasures to maintain the basic integrity of their air defenses.

Both the Iraqi and Serbian air defenses were based on older generation, Soviet-built SA-2, SA-3, SA-6, and SA-8:  the so-called single digit SAMs, designed in the 1960s and 1970s. The newer generations of SAMs, double digit SAMs such as the SA-10, SA-12, SA-15, SA-19, and SA-20, are far more sophisticated and lethal.  These have higher power radars that are jam-resistant, and they use faster and longer-range missiles.  It is widely believed that the number of American losses would have been much higher if these countries had these double digit SAMs.  

Today, only a few countries outside of the former U.S.S.R. have these advanced systems. The Russians sold the SA-10 (Russian designation S-300, NATO:Grumble) to China, and recently agreed to sell them to Iran. The Russians are aggressively marketing these systems and China may also build versions for export, just as they did with the single digit SAMs. Several more countries may acquire and field these systems within the next 10 years.  The major factor preventing proliferation is the high price tag of these systems.  However, the Russians are also developing and selling improvement kits to the single digit SAMs to provide near double-digit SAMs performance at a fraction of the cost.

In short, the battlefield 10 years from now may be a far more dangerous place than today, and it will take a toll on our pilots if we do not act to mitigate the increased threat. 

One way to better prepare our pilots for facing these emerging threats is to provide better training, particularly in environments that more closely simulate what they will see in a real combat situation.  The United States Air Force currently has portable threat emitters on many of their air combat training ranges, called miniature multiple threat emitter systems ("Mini-MUTES"). These highly mobile, trailer mounted systems simulate the radiation that would "paint" an aircraft if it were flying into a threat area.

Adversaries tend not to keep their radars on because they can be targeted by anti-radiation weapons.  Instead, they lay low and wait for an attack, whereupon they energize their radars and shoot several missiles at nearby aircraft and then turn off the radars.  Providing realistic practice to pilots in quickly detecting and classifying hostile signals and employing the appropriate tactics is crucial to their survival.  These threat emitters can also help ensure that the detection equipment on the aircraft is working properly.  

The major problem is that the Mini-MUTES currently in place in our training ranges only simulate the radar emissions from older, single digit SAMs.  However, there is a program underway at Air Combat Command, called the "Mini-MUTES Modification Program (M3P)," that will refurbish all 77 units and upgrade 15 of them to double-digit SAMs configurations. M3P also includes several improvements in all the units, such as devices to track the aircraft and record how they react to the simulated threats.  This is an important tool for efficient post-training debriefs.

The improved training capability that this will bring to our armed forces will be critical to the ability of our pilots to survive the increasingly deadly air defense that are emerging around the world. The sooner we can field this upgraded capabilities, the better, and I support efforts on the part of the USAF to improve their air combat training ranges.  

I urge my colleagues to become informed on these issues and support the services in modernizing their electronic warfare training capabilities.     

John M. Spratt, Jr.
Member of Congress  

Electronic Warfare Working Group

Congressman Joe Pitts, Founder and Co-Chairman

420 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

202 225-2411 phone    202 225-2013 fax