Week 7: Air Warfare

I.         Mission Definition – the actions required to reduce the enemy air and missile threat to an acceptable level

 

II.       History

A.       18 Jan 1911 – Eugene B. Ely – 1st successful landing on warship (USS Pennsylvania) (ropes / sandbags; prot canvas)

B.       8 May 1911 – Capt Chambers, 1st OIC aviation (two Curtis amphib planes)

C.       WWI: (Pilots/Enlisted/Aircraft) 43 / 193 / 54 à 3,049 / 43,452 / 2,000 / 39 Naval Air Stations / 15 Lighter-Than-Aircraft

D.       1919: collier Jupiter à CV1 Langley (Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger followed)

E.       WWII: 5,900 / 21,678 / 5,233 à 60,095 / 370,760 / 40,900 / 100+ carriers

F.       WWII mission: basic recon / patrol à strike / fighter intercept / bombing / transport

G.       50s: Korea: Developed basic strategy and purpose still used today by Navy; super carriers introduced

H.       60s

1.        Primary Aircraft – F-4 Phantom II, A-4 Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair II, P-3 Orion

2.        A2A, A2S missiles became standard

3.        Vertical takeoff platforms introduced

4.        First CVN; USS Enterprise – 25 Nov 1961

I.         70s: F-14 Tomcat, AV-8B Harrier, EA-6B Prowler, S-3 Viking

J.        80s: SH-60 Seahawk, CH-53E Super Stallion, F/A-18 Hornet; Maverick, Tomahawk

 

III.     Mission Capabilities

A.       Offensive – strikes against ships, air bases, missile sites; closely related with strike warfare

B.       Defensive – use of SAM, AAM, guns, electronic countermeasures, dispersion, and mobility to protect against offensive air threat

1.        Surveillance, Detection, and Engagement – essential to ID air contacts and prepare a fire control solution before it can attack

2.        Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (AEW): Provide timely warning of incoming air hostiles; relay communications; good at detecting low-flying aircraft / missiles.  Airborne Tactical Data System (ATDS) links to shipboard Naval TDS (NTDS)

3.        Picket Units: stationed in air corridor; all friendly planes go through “delouse” shadowing enemies; assigned to ships or AEWs

4.        Combat Air Patrol (CAP) / Defensive Counter Air (DCA) – fighters in conjunction w/AEWs patrol in fuel-conserving “racetrack” patterns beyond shipboard missile range; intercept threats hundreds of miles from the carrier

 

IV.     Tactical Terms – AWC is senior captain of AEGIS CG/DG

A.       Defense – air warfare area encompasses total region protection from enemy air attack … three areas:

1.        Surveillance Area – extends from the High Value Unit (HVU) to maximum detection range; ships 200nm; E2C 240nm

a.        Carrier -- 200nm -- Cruiser  -- 200 + 240nm -- E2C  -- 240nm  (880NM from carrier)

2.        Classification, Identification, and Engagement Area (CIEA) – regions in which weapons employed against air threats

a.        Fighter Engagement Zone (FEZ) – enemy engaged with DCA

b.        Missile Engagement Zone (MEZ) – enemy engaged with SAMs

c.        Joint Engagement Zone (FEZ) – enemy engaged with either; must have positive control of DCA; used in geographically constrained areas (Persian Gulf)

3.        Vital Area – contains HVU; region extends from HVU to max range of enemy weapons

B.       Detect to Engage Sequence

1.        Detection – contact made and assigned a tracking number

2.        Entry – entering detected track info into NTDS

3.        Tracking – accurately determine target’s position

4.        Identification – Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) by special equipment

5.        Threat Evaluation – determine relative degree of threat (threat priority); based on position, approach, ID, range of weapons, and time remaining to effectively engage

6.        Weapons Pairing – assign optimum weapon for use against a given threat based on threat priority and available assets

7.        Engagement – employment of weapons

8.        Engagement Assessment (BDA) – monitoring weapon return info to determine successfulness

 

V.       Basic Platform Overview

A.       Carrier Air Wing (CVW) – 75 to 95 planes on CVNs … Squadrons (Desig, Name, Plane, # of):

1.        VFA      Strike Fighter      F/A 18 Hornet          36

a.        C/D: versatile, uses precision ordnance, escorts itself, good maneuverability

b.        E/F: greater range, ceiling, speed, payload, electronics, reliability; replace A-6E Intruder, F-14, F/A 18 C/D

2.        VF         Fighter                F-14                        14

a.        A: Fleet defense fighter, phoenix, AWG-9 Radar / 24 targets @ 100+mi; all weather

b.        D: guided bombs, AMRAAMs

3.        VS         Sea Control        S-3B                        8

a.        Last carrier-based fixed-wing ASW

b.        Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar, AGM-84 Harpoon

c.        Can act as a refueler

4.        VAW      Early Warning    E-2C Hawkeye        4

a.        All-weather, carrier-based, early warning and detection aircraft

b.        Mission: surface surveillance, strike / interceptor control, search and rescue guidance, and communications relay

c.        APS-125 radar; 275nm, 250 targets, guide 60 interceptors

5.        VAQ      Elec. Warfare      EA-6B Prowler        4

a.        Mission: Interrupt enemy electronics, obtain tactical electronic intelligence

b.        “Wild Weasel” role (formerly of F-4) which is vital to SEAD

6.        HS        Helicopter ASub SH-60F Sea Hawk  8

a.        Mission: USW, search and rescue, drug interdiction, ASW, cargo lift, special ops, over the horizon targeting (OTH-T), vertical replenishment; only carrier of AGM-119B penguin

 

VI.     Weapons

A.       Launching Platform (A, R, U = Air / Ship / Sub) … Mission (G, I, U = Surface attack / aerial intercept / underwater attack) … Type (R, M = rocket, missile)

B.       AGMs

1.        65         Maverick            F/A-18, AV-8B, P-3C            Mach 2.0            12nm

2.        84         Harpoon             F/A-18, EA-6B                      Mach 0.8            75nm

3.        84E       SLAM                 F/A-18                                  Mach 0.8            50nm

4.        88         HARM                F/A-18, EA-6B                      Mach 2+             80nm

5.        119B     Penguin              SH-60B                                 Mach 0.8            20nm

 

VII.   Platform and Equipment Capabilities

A.       AIM-120 AMRAAM (Adv. Med. Range Air-to-Air Missile) – light, fast, INS / active radar homing; fire and forget

B.       AIM-7 Sparrow III – medium range, semi-active homing, being phased out

C.       AIM-9M Sidewinder – short-range, fire and forget, heat-seeker; infrared tracks enemy’s exhaust (1953)

D.       AIM-54C Phoenix – long range; only good vs non-maneuvering targets; F-14 only; semi-active then active; longest range AAM

 

VIII. Surface Platforms

A.       Ships – CGs and DDGs use SPY-1 radar, AEGIS, Mk41 VLS, and SM-2 missiles.  FFG lack AEGIS and use SM-1.

B.       Standard Missiles – SM-2 is US’s primary SAM.  Used with AEGIS.  Semi-active guidance.  Terminal guidance radar when range is down to several miles.  SM-1s have similar guidance but a shorter range; can be used against ships if needed.

 

IX.     Future Platforms

A.       F-35 JSF – Deep-strike aircraft with stealth of F-117 Stealth Fighter due in 2008.  3 versions: Land-based conventional take-off (CTOL), carrier-based CTOL, and Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL)

B.       AIM-9X – like AIM-9M except it uses more maneuverable thrust vectoring technology

C.       CVX – new class of 20% cheaper CVs; reduced size / air wing, elec. propulsion with gas turbines, electromagnetic launching system

D.       SM3 –part of Navy’s Theater Wide Ballistic Missile Defense System (TBMD) for defense against ballistic missiles