The ARI.23246/1 Sky Shadow is a radar jamming system (ECM pod), initially developed by
GEC-Marconi Defence Systems, formerly operated by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF).
History
It was developed by
GEC-Marconi Defence Systems, which employed around 48,000 people, in the early 1970s. Marconi Defence Systems started development in 1972, with production starting in 1979. Production finished in 1996.
The system is designed to jam
radar-guided air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft (including unmanned aircraft such as cruise missiles). AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid-fuel roc ...
, ground-to-air missiles and radar directed anti-aircraft-artillerys.
Operation
The Sky Shadow radar jammer was designed for and carried by the RAF's
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
GR1 and GR4 (now retired). The ECM pod weighed around 200 kg, and was around 3 metres long. It operated in the
G to
J bands.
The Sky Shadow was hastily fitted to
Harrier GR3 aircraft in the
Falklands War
The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
, on the aircraft's 30mm gun pod. The RAF purchased around 225 ECM pods for the Tornado GR1 (IDS Tornado) fleet.
See also
*
Electronic warfare
*
Radar jamming and deception
Radar jamming and deception is a form of electronic countermeasures (ECMs) that intentionally sends out radio frequency signals to interfere with the operation of radar by saturating its receiver with noise or false information. Concepts that blan ...
References
External links
Royal Air Force
{{General Electric Company plc
Electronic countermeasures
General Electric Company
Military electronics of the United Kingdom
1979 establishments in the United Kingdom
Products introduced in 1979