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49-821: The EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft flown by the United States Air Force . Based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules , the aircraft is heavily modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications, perform offensive counterinformation operations, and carry out other kinds of electronic attacks. Planned upgrades will add the ability to attack early warning and acquisition radars. Based at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, EC-130Hs can be deployed worldwide at short notice to support U.S. and allied strategic and tactical air, surface, and special operations forces . The EC-130H

98-799: A Counter-Terrorism (CT) mission against the remnants of Al-Qaeda and the Resolute Support TAA mission in support of Afghan security forces. Our CT and TAA efforts are concurrent and complementary. While we continue to attack the remnants of Al-Qaeda, we are also building the ANDSF so that they can secure the Afghan people, win the peace, and contribute to stability throughout the region." When OFS started U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan were at 9,800 troops. General Campbell requested an additional 1,000 troops while NATO troop levels were built up to

147-404: A common fleet configuration, new operator interface, increased reliability, and better fault detection. Baseline 2 has several upgrades to ease operator workload and improve effectiveness. Improved external communications allow Compass Call crews to maintain situational awareness and connectivity in dynamic operational and tactical environments. Aircraft communication capabilities are improved with

196-497: A discipline overlapping with ES, is the related process of analyzing and identifying intercepted transmissions from sources such as radio communication, mobile phones , radar , or microwave communication . SIGINT is broken into two categories: electronic intelligence ( ELINT ) and communications intelligence ( COMINT ). Analysis parameters measured in signals of these categories can include frequency , bandwidth , modulation , and polarization . The distinction between SIGINT and ES

245-461: A force of about 13,500. His request was granted. In 2019, U.S. troop levels were at 14,000 troops in combined support of NATO RS missions and OFS. By January 2021, the U.S. had reduced its force level to 2,500 troops. However, it was later revealed that U.S. has 1000 more troops, which include Special Operations forces, than it disclosed in Afghanistan. Moreover, as of January 2021, there were still approximately 18,000 military contractors, of which

294-760: A formal training unit (the 42nd ECS), the 755th Operations Support Squadron (OSS), and the 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS). The 55th ECG is a tenant unit of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Although located at Davis-Monthan, the group reports to the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB , Nebraska. Compass Call has been used in Yugoslavia , Haiti , Panama , Iraq , Afghanistan , and elsewhere. From 2002 to 2015, EC-130Hs participating in Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan and Operation Freedom's Sentinel flew over 40,000 hours during 6,900 combat sorties. On 15 January 2020,

343-459: A measure used to protect against an electronic enemy attack (EA) or to protect against friendly forces who unintentionally deploy the equivalent of an electronic attack on friendly forces. (sometimes called EW fratricide ). The effectiveness of electronic protection (EP) level is the ability to counter an electronic attack (EA). Flares are often used to distract infrared homing missiles into missing their target. The use of flare rejection logic in

392-642: A third were U.S. citizens, in Afghanistan President Biden stated on July 8, 2021, that the war in Afghanistan would officially conclude on August 31, 2021. American airstrikes on Taliban members were projected to continue, but ended with the fall of the Islamic Republic . The Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations (Lead IG) is responsible for submitting a quarterly report on OFS to Congress. The quarterly report describes activities in support of OFS, as well as

441-755: Is a practice range that provides training for personnel operating in electronic warfare. There are two examples of such ranges in Europe : one at RAF Spadeadam in the northwest county of Cumbria , England, and the Multinational Aircrew Electronic Warfare Tactics Facility Polygone range on the border between Germany and France. EWTRs are equipped with ground-based equipment to simulate electronic warfare threats that aircrew might encounter on missions. Other EW training and tactics ranges are available for ground and naval forces as well. Antifragile EW

490-624: Is a step beyond standard EP, occurring when a communications link being jammed actually increases in capability as a result of a jamming attack, although this is only possible under certain circumstances such as reactive forms of jamming. Electronic warfare support (ES) is a subdivision of EW involving actions taken by an operational commander or operator to detect, intercept, identify, locate, and/or localize sources of intended and unintended radiated electromagnetic (EM) energy. These Electronic Support Measures (ESM) aim to enable immediate threat recognition focuses on serving military service needs even in

539-485: Is a suite of countermeasure systems fitted primarily to aircraft for the purpose of protecting the host from weapons fire and can include, among others: directional infrared countermeasures ( DIRCM , flare systems and other forms of infrared countermeasures for protection against infrared missiles; chaff (protection against radar-guided missiles); and DRFM decoy systems (protection against radar-targeted anti-aircraft weapons). An electronic warfare tactics range (EWTR)

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588-901: Is addressing the other NATO defense lines of development. Primary EW activities have been developed over time to exploit the opportunities and vulnerabilities that are inherent in the physics of EM energy . Activities used in EW include electro-optical, infrared and radio frequency countermeasures; EM compatibility and deception; radio jamming , radar jamming and deception and electronic counter-countermeasures (or anti-jamming); electronic masking, probing, reconnaissance, and intelligence; electronic security; EW reprogramming; emission control; spectrum management; and wartime reserve modes. Electronic warfare consists of three major subdivisions: electronic attack (EA), electronic protection (EP), and electronic warfare support (ES). Electronic attack (EA), also known as electronic countermeasures (ECM), involves

637-513: Is an element of information warfare; more specifically, it is an element of offensive and defensive counterinformation. NATO has a different and arguably more encompassing and comprehensive approach to EW. A military committee conceptual document from 2007, MCM_0142 Nov 2007 Military Committee Transformation Concept for Future NATO Electronic Warfare , recognised the EME as an operational maneuver space and warfighting environment/domain. In NATO, EW

686-583: Is composed of a mix of Baseline 1 and 2 aircraft. The Block 35 Baseline 1 EC-130H provides the Air Force with additional capabilities to jam communication, Early Warning/Acquisition radar, and navigation systems through higher effective radiated power, extended frequency range, and insertion of digital signal processing compared to earlier EC-130Hs. Baseline 1 aircraft have the flexibility to keep pace with adversary use of emerging technology. It promotes enhanced crew proficiency, maintenance, and sustainment with

735-795: Is considered to be warfare in the EME. NATO has adopted simplified language which parallels those used in other warfighting environments like maritime, land, and air/space. For example, an electronic attack (EA) is offensive use of EM energy, electronic defense (ED), and electronic surveillance (ES). The use of the traditional NATO EW terms, electronic countermeasures (ECM), electronic protective measures (EPM), and electronic support measures (ESM) has been retained as they contribute to and support electronic attack (EA), electronic defense (ED) and electronic surveillance (ES). Besides EW, other EM operations include intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), and signals intelligence (SIGINT). Subsequently, NATO has issued EW policy and doctrine and

784-454: Is determined by the controller of the collection assets, the information provided, and the intended purpose of the information. Electronic warfare support is conducted by assets under the operational control of a commander to provide tactical information, specifically threat prioritization, recognition, location, targeting, and avoidance. However, the same assets and resources that are tasked with ES can simultaneously collect information that meets

833-599: Is one of the three main U.S. electronic warfare aircraft, along with the Boeing EA-18G Growler , and F-16CJ Fighting Falcon , all of which can suppress enemy air defenses while jamming communications, radar, and command-and-control targets. In September 2017, the Air Force announced that L3 Technologies will serve as the lead systems integrator for a future Compass Call aircraft based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet. The new Compass Call platform

882-545: The Afghan National Security Forces consisted of more than 300,000 personnel during 2020. These forces surrendered or fled to neighbouring countries during the August phase of the 2021 Taliban offensive , leaving nearly all of the country under Taliban control. Operation Freedom Sentinel was expected to formally end on August 31, 2021, but was de-facto completed one day earlier on August 30, as

931-693: The Bayraktar TB2 had a life expectancy of about six flights. By summer 2022, only some one-third of Ukrainian UAV missions could be said to have been successful, as EW had contributed to Ukraine losing 90% of the thousands of drones it had at the beginning of the invasion. Russian EW capacity to disrupt GPS signals is credited with the reduction in the success of Ukrainian usage of HIMARS and JDAM bombs. The failure of GPS guidance forces these weapons, in particular JDAMS, to use inertial navigation system which reduces accuracy from around 5 metres (15 ft) down to around 27 metres (90 ft). Ukraine

980-531: The Euphrates River , modeled after a North Korean reactor and supposedly financed with Iranian assistance. Some reports say Israeli EW systems deactivated all of Syria's air defense systems for the entire period of the raid. In December 2010, the Russian Army deployed their first land-based multifunctional electronic warfare system known as Borisoglebsk 2 , developed by Sozvezdie . Development of

1029-580: The Japanese communications link by attempting to transmit a stronger radio signal over the Shinano Maru's signal, hoping to distort the Japanese signal at the receiving end. Russian Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky refused the advice and denied the Ural permission to electronically jam the enemy, which in those circumstances might have proved invaluable. The intelligence the Japanese gained ultimately led to

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1078-501: The NATO-led Resolute Support Mission (RS), "a separate 'non-NATO' contingent of U.S. forces will participate in force protection, logistical support and counterterrorism activities." An October 1, 2015, statement by Gen. John F. Campbell , commander, Resolute Support Mission, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan/ISAF, defined the U.S. military's objectives. "U.S. forces are now carrying out two well-defined missions:

1127-529: The OFS mission, including preparing to hold safe, credible parliamentary elections, defeating ISIS-K, and pressuring Pakistan to eliminate safe havens. During the quarter, the United States and Afghanistan continued to seek to address these challenges, though with limited progress, as detailed throughout this report. This quarter, Lead IG agencies also observed the following emerging challenges that complicate

1176-506: The Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet said its initial usage caused concern within NATO. A Russian blog described Borisoglebsk-2 thus: The 'Borisoglebsk-2', when compared to its predecessors, has better technical characteristics: wider frequency bandwidth for conducting radar collection and jamming, faster scanning times of the frequency spectrum, and higher precision when identifying

1225-464: The battle, although many were defeated by Vietnamese ECCM. In 2007, an Israeli attack on a suspected Syrian nuclear site during Operation Outside the Box (or Operation Orchard ) used electronic warfare systems to disrupt Syrian air defenses while Israeli jets crossed much of Syria, bombed their targets, and returned to Israel undeterred. The target was a suspected nuclear reactor under construction near

1274-557: The case of anti-radiation weapons, this often includes missiles or bombs that can home in on a specific signal (radio or radar) and follow that path directly to impact, thus destroying the system broadcasting. In November 2021, Israel Aerospace Industries announced a new electronic warfare system named Scorpius that can disrupt radar and communications from ships, UAVs , and missiles simultaneously and at varying distances. On 8 September 2024, Russian drones entered both Romanian and Latvian airspace. Romania scrambled two F-16s to monitor

1323-584: The collection requirements for more strategic intelligence. The earliest documented use of EW was during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. The British Army, when trying to relieve Ladysmith, under siege by the Boers , used a searchlight to "bounce" Morse code signals off the clouds. The Boers immediately spotted this and used one of their own searchlights in an attempt to jam the British signals. This

1372-723: The decisive Battle of Tsushima , where the Russian Navy lost all its battleships and most of its cruisers and destroyers. These losses effectively ended the Russo-Japanese War in Japan's favor. During World War II , the Allies and Axis Powers both extensively used EW, or what Winston Churchill referred to as the " Battle of the Beams ": as navigational radars were used to guide bombers to their targets and back to their base,

1421-820: The drone's progress, it landed "in an uninhabited area" near Periprava , according to the Romanian Ministry of Defence. The drone that entered Latvian airspace from Belarus crashed near Rezekne . This comes as the ISW noted increased success in Ukrainian Electronic Warfare against Russian drones that resulted in "several Russian Shahed drones (that) recently failed to reach their intended targets for unknown reasons." Two Kh-58s also reportedly failed to reach their targets. Electronic protection (EP), also known as an electronic protective measure (EPM) or electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) are

1470-418: The electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum portion of the information environment is referred to as the electromagnetic environment (EME). The recognized need for military forces to have unimpeded access to and use of the electromagnetic environment creates vulnerabilities and opportunities for electronic warfare in support of military operations. Within the information operations construct, EW

1519-551: The expansion of satellite communications connectivity compatible with emerging DoD architectures, increased multi-asset coordination nets, and upgraded data-link terminals. Delivery of Baseline-2 provides the Air Force with the equivalent of a "fifth generation electronic attack capability," providing improved aircraft performance and survivability. A majority of the improvements found in the EC-130H Compass Call Baseline-2 are classified modifications to

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1568-481: The first EC-130H Compass Call (serial number 73-01587) was retired from active service. The aircraft was the first EC-130H Compass Call delivered to the Air Force in March 1982. Data from Air Force Link: EC-130H Compass Call General characteristics Performance Related development Electronic warfare Military operations are executed in an information environment increasingly complicated by

1617-529: The first application of EW in WWII was to interfere with the navigational radars. Chaff was also introduced during WWII to confuse and defeat tracking radar systems. As battlefield communication and radar technology improved, so did electronic warfare, which played a major role in several military operations during the Vietnam War . Aircraft on bombing runs and air-to-air missions often relied on EW to survive

1666-530: The guidance (seeker head) of an infrared homing missile to counter an adversary's use of flares is an example of EP. While defensive EA actions (jamming) and EP (defeating jamming) both protect personnel, facilities, capabilities, and equipment, EP protects from the effects of EA (friendly and/or adversary). Other examples of EP include spread spectrum technologies, the use of restricted frequency lists, emissions control ( EMCON ), and low observability (stealth) technology. Electronic warfare self-protection (EWSP)

1715-451: The last remaining troops withdrew and was officially terminated by the DoD on October 1, 2021 as it officially initiated its successor, Operation Enduring Sentinel . After thirteen years of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military and NATO allies shifted focus from major military operations to a smaller role of NATO-led training and assistance. While the bulk of the new mission was under

1764-527: The location and source of radar emissions, and increased capacity for suppression. During the first two days of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russian EW disrupted Ukraine's air defense radars and communications, severely disrupting Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems. Russian jamming was so effective it interfered with their own communications, so efforts were scaled back. This led to Ukrainian SAMs regaining much of their effectiveness, which began inflicting significant losses on Russian aircraft by

1813-444: The mission system that enhance precision and increase attack capabilities. The Compass Call had its first flight in 1981, was delivered to the Air Force in 1982, and reached initial operating capability in 1983. All EC-130H Compass Call aircraft are assigned to Air Combat Command . The EC-130H is operated by the 55th Electronic Combat Group (ECG) consisting of two operational squadrons (41st and 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron (ECS)),

1862-431: The most tactical, rugged, and extreme environments. This is often referred to as simply reconnaissance, although today, more common terms are intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( ISR ) or intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance ( ISTAR ). The purpose is to provide immediate recognition, prioritization, and targeting of threats to battlefield commanders. Signals intelligence (SIGINT),

1911-646: The new South Asia strategy, and that the Taliban was shifting to "guerilla tactics and suicide attacks" because it was no longer able to carry out attacks to seize cities or districts. However, suicide attacks and bombings in Kabul and across Afghanistan resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, and raised concerns among Afghans about whether the government can secure the country.” “The United States faces multiple challenges in Afghanistan. Previous Lead IG quarterly reports identified several challenges facing Afghanistan and

1960-414: The offensive use of electromagnetic energy weapons, directed energy weapons, or anti-radiation weapons to attack personnel, facilities, or equipment with the intent of degrading, neutralizing, or destroying enemy combat capability including human life. In the case of electromagnetic energy, this action is most commonly referred to as "jamming" and can be performed on communications systems or radar systems. In

2009-2491: The satellite radio navigation field (spoofing)". An estimated three Palantin systems have been hit (June 2022, February 2023, and March 2024). In addition to the Palantin, in Zaporizhzhia a Layer EW system was destroyed. In the movie Spaceballs , an electronic attack "jams" a weapons system with a literal jar of jam . In both Top Gun: Maverick and Behind Enemy Lines , characters utilize chaff and flares from their F/A-18s to confuse/deflect guided missiles. Other electronic warfare systems: Historic: U.S. specific: Operation Freedom%27s Sentinel [REDACTED]   NATO [REDACTED]   Islamic Republic of Afghanistan [REDACTED]   United States (Part of Resolute Support Mission) [REDACTED] Taliban [REDACTED]   al-Qaeda [REDACTED]   Islamic State [REDACTED] CIC Joe R. Biden (2021) [REDACTED] CIC Donald J. Trump (2017–2021) [REDACTED] CIC Barack H. Obama (2014–2017) [REDACTED] United States Central Command : [REDACTED] Resolute Support Mission : Coalition : [REDACTED] Hibatullah Akhundzada [REDACTED] Akhtar Mansour   † [REDACTED] Ayman al-Zawahiri [REDACTED] Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2019–2021) [REDACTED] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi   † (2014–19) [REDACTED] Hafiz Saeed Khan   † (2015–July 2016) [REDACTED] Abdul Haseeb Logari   † (2016–April 2017) [REDACTED] Abdul Rahman Ghaleb   † (April–July 2017) [REDACTED] Abu Saad Erhabi   † (July 2017–August 2018) [REDACTED] Abdullah Orokzai  ( POW ) (April 2019–April 2020) [REDACTED] Qari Hekmat   † [REDACTED] Mufti Nemat   [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Dawood Ahmad Sofi   † [REDACTED] Mohamed Zahran   † Peak strength: [REDACTED] Resolute Support Mission : 17,178 troops (in October 2019) [REDACTED] Afghan National Defense and Security Forces : 307,947 (on January 28, 2021) Operation Freedom's Sentinel ( OFS )

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2058-658: The start of March 2022. Rapid Russian advances at the start of the war prevented EW troops from properly supporting the advancing troops, but by late March and April 2022, extensive jamming infrastructure had been deployed. EW complexes were set up in Donbas in concentrations of up to 10 complexes per 13 mi (21 km) of frontage. Electronic suppression of GPS and radio signals caused heavy losses of Ukrainian UAVs, depriving them of intelligence and precise artillery fire spotting. Small quadcopters had an average life expectancy of around three flights, and larger fixed-wing UAVs like

2107-529: The system started in 2004 and evaluation testing successfully completed in December 2010. The Borisoglebsk-2 uses four different types of jamming stations on a single system. The Borisoglebsk-2 system is mounted on nine MT-LB armored vehicles and is intended to suppress mobile satellite communications and satellite-based navigation signals. This EW system is developed to conduct electronic reconnaissance and suppression of radio-frequency sources. In August 2015,

2156-626: The work of the Department of Defense , the Department of State , and the United States Agency for International Development to promote the U.S. Government's policy goals in Afghanistan, Excerpts from the January 1, 2018 – March 30, 2018 report: “General John Nicholson Jr. , Commander of Resolute Support and Commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) said this quarter that U.S. and Afghan forces were gaining momentum through

2205-737: Was designated as EA-37B by Air Combat Command on November 14, 2023. The EC-130H aircraft carries a combat crew of 13 people. Four members handle aircraft flight and navigation (aircraft commander, co-pilot, navigator, and flight engineer), while nine members operate and employ the EA mission equipment permanently integrated into the cargo/mission compartment. The mission crew includes the mission crew commander (electronic warfare officer), weapon system officer (electronic warfare officer), mission crew supervisor (an experienced cryptologic linguist), four analysis operators (linguists), one acquisition operator, and an airborne maintenance technician. The EC-130H fleet

2254-762: Was graphically described by Winston Churchill in his book London to Ladysmith via Pretoria . During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 the Japanese auxiliary cruiser Shinano Maru had located the Russian Baltic Fleet in Tsushima Strait , and was communicating the fleet's location by radio signals to the Imperial Japanese Fleet HQ. The captain of the Russian warship Ural requested permission to disrupt

2303-480: Was in widespread use on front lines to impair small battlefield UAV activity, with Russia installing video feedback and control jammers on high-value equipment like tanks and artillery. By 11 March 2024, Ukraine reported it had destroyed a Russian Palantin EW system in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which "suppress satellite radio navigation along the entire line of contact and in most parts of Ukraine, replacing

2352-490: Was losing some 10,000 drones a month due to Russian electronic warfare, according to a 19 May 2023 report by the Royal United Services Institute . This was an average of 300 drones a day. Russia has established EW posts about every 10 kilometres (6 mi) of the front, being some 6 kilometres (4 mi) back from the front line. In October 2023, The Economist reported that electronic warfare

2401-757: Was the official name used by the U.S. government for the mission succeeding Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in continuation of the War in Afghanistan as part of the larger Global War on Terrorism . Operation Freedom's Sentinel was part of the NATO -led Resolute Support Mission , which began on January 1, 2015. OFS had two components: counterterrorism and working with allies as part of Resolute Support. There were 16,551 NATO and non-NATO troops in Afghanistan around February 2020. Around June 2020, that number dropped to 15,937. In February 2021, there were 9,592 NATO and non-NATO troops in Afghanistan. The self-reported strength of

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