British Airborne Electronic Warfare Systems - Technical data and discussion

Got some reports in on British RWR capability:
https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/Vh5MgLFiOmts
https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/o28aoClqe6ac
https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/MnOPY3b7YVQe

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I mean, they never like to talk about it but the ELINT Nimrod based at San Felix Island and the crash AEW build programme that resulted are teo of my favourite examples.

I take it that that particular Pod was used in the Falklands where sufficient Early Warning of an Exocet attack was given? I’ve seen a couple of books mention Helicopters towing Active Radar Decoys but none ever state the carrying aircraft.

The EW system initially deployed on Lynx in the Falklands in May '82 was called “Hampton Mayfair” where they basically stuffed some active jamming equipment from a Canberra in to a Lynx and had the antenna strapped on to the side of the helicopter.

Images: Hampton Mayfair

https://i.imgur.com/Xia1RkW.jpeg
hampton mayfair

Yellow Veil was a more sophisticated decoy system that to be honest I don’t think was in service until the mid-80s, but the US National Electronics Museum infoboard there says it was used during the conflict.
If it wasn’t around, towed/slung radar reflector decoys might have been a solution.

Initial version of the Yellow Veil pod looks like this with smaller spike antennas

Image: Yellow Veil 1

https://live.staticflickr.com/878/41239119281_c391a673bf_6k.jpg

and the previous photo was Yellow Veil 2 that had a payload for countering Silkworms in the Gulf

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Another case of where ‘Nah, she’ll be right’ paid off.
(If it works, it works.)

Found a quote of a quote in the book The Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History by Larry Jeram-Croft

The following is an article that appeared in the navy’s Flight Deck magazine, written by Lieutenant Commander Legg, the then commanding officer of 829 Squadron:
‘In 1986, attacks on merchant shipping in the Arabian Gulf increased as the Iran-Iraq war escalated and many ships fell victim to their air launched M39 Exocet, as well as Chinese made Silkworm missiles fired by Iran from the Faw Peninsula. During the Falklands War the Hampton Mayfair anti-Exocet jamming equipment was fitted to the Lynx and briefly deployed, but for Armilla it was decided to introduce a much improved, properly funded and trialled system to protect UK shipping in the Gulf. The Yellow Veil jamming pod was procured and is now a standard fit on all Lynx in theatre. The system is reliable and not only can it be used to protect shipping, but can be used against a wide range of radars and missiles in all spheres of anti-surface warfare.’

So 1986 for Yellow Veil

Book also includes a picture of a more refined, post-Falklands version of the Hampton Mayfair system. Before Yellow Veil replaced it
hampton

Nice, so it is a multipurpose jammer. Didn’t think there would be a limit to just shipborn threats and ASMs.

Came across a decent image of the Blue Eric pod
BlueEric
Repurposed gun pod with a large semicircular antenna where the shell ejection port was. Note the radiation hazard warning sticker

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Very nice, and totally noncredible.

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So with ESM radar modes being added on the dev server it makes me wonder if electronic warfare might also come in the not too distant future.

With that in mind here’s the list of British aircraft currently in game, which I can see potentially getting ECM systems (commonwealth aircraft & helicopters excluded):

Aircraft ECM system
Buccaneer S.2B ALQ-101
Harrier GR.3 Blue Eric
Harrier GR.7 Zues
Harrier T.10 Zues
Jaguar GR.1 ALQ-101
Jaguar GR.1A ALQ-101
Phantom FGR.2 PEWT Pod
Tornado F.3 TRD
Tornado F.3 Late TRD
Tornado GR.1 Sky Shadow
Tornado GR.4 Sky Shadow
Typhoon FGR.4 Praetorian DASS / TRD
Typhoon FGR.4 AESA Praetorian DASS / TRD

Let me know if I missed anything

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ECRS Mk.2

AURA

Does Britecloud count as a ECM, or are you just counting that as part of TRD?

Yeah Britecloud is similar in principle as TRD’s.

So yeah;

Britecloud for all three. @Flame2512

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Didnt know GR4 also had Britecloud


First in service with it.

Sweet. Is that in the TERMA or BOZ or either?

Either, comes in 2x1" and 55mm.

Ah nice. Shame the GR9 was retired before they entered service, would have been a useful piece of equipment for it

Let me know if you want anything adding to the OP.

ESM modes accessible on anything yet or just the text been datamined?