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 United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(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
The newest and the oldest member of Rafael's Python family of AAM for comparisons, Python-5 (displayed lower-front) and Shafrir-1 (upper-back)
An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying a ...
, 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 both the surface of the 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, altho ...
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.
Royal Air Force Aircraft and Weapons PDF
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The Sky Shadow was hastily fitted to Harrier GR3 aircraft in the Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
, 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
Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
* Radar jamming and deception
Radar jamming and deception is a form of electronic countermeasures 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 blanket the ...
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