China's J-16D radar-jamming electronic warfare (EW) aircraft a growing concern among military planners
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Growler electronic warfare (EW) attack jets are one of a few military aircraft types dedicated to the task of radar jamming -- and potentially destroying -- hostile radars that could guide deadly surface-to-air missiles against friendly aircraft. The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
21 Nov. 2019 -- China’s aviation engineers have never been too proud to copy a good idea from abroad, usually modified with Chinese characteristics. Perhaps it is not surprising that they appear to have devised a Growler of their own.
The aircraft in question is a variant of the two-seat J-16 Red Eagle strike plane -- itself a Chinese copy of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKK Flanker. The two-seat Red Eagle is roughly comparable to the American F-15E, and improves upon the Russian original with new avionics including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the current state of the art in fighter-based radar technology.
While China has had major problems developing reliable high-performance jet engines, it’s more successful at producing advanced electronics, perhaps due to crossover with its civilian electronic sector.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics