BAE Systems has been chosen by the U.S. Navy to create the Dual Band Decoy (DBD), a highly advanced radio frequency (RF) countermeasure. The DBD is a cutting-edge RF self-protection jammer designed to defend fighter jets against enemy attacks.
Today’s radio frequency (RF) missile threats continue to grow, not only in numbers but also in sophistication and capabilities. BAE Systems’ AN/ALE-55 fiber-optic towed decoy (FOTD) is a highly advanced RF self-protection jammer that is proven to be highly effective against RF missile threats to protect any fixed-wing aircraft, from jet fighters to bombers to transports and more.
The RF self-protection jammer enhances the security of U.S. Navy jets by employing advanced jamming technology to disrupt enemy radars and divert missiles away from the aircraft. This cutting-edge system can be launched manually by pilots or automatically in response to threats, providing a crucial advantage in highly contested airspaces.
Expanding on the capabilities of BAE Systems’ proven AN/ALE-55 Fiber-Optic Towed Decoy, the DBD consists of a towed unit connected by fiber-optic cable to electronic warfare equipment onboard the aircraft. This innovative decoy utilizes the latest jamming technology to disrupt enemy radars and divert missiles away from the aircraft.
The AN/ALE-55 fiber optic towed decoy operates on a similar principle, effectively jamming signals by emitting a high-powered response from a location off-board the aircraft at the end of the towline. This innovative technology guides missiles away from the aircraft and towards the towed decoy while also leveraging the aircraft’s onboard electronic warfare system to employ various countermeasure techniques, including suppression, deflection, and deception of pulsed and continuous wave RF threats.
Additionally, the aircraft system can utilize the FOTD to emit jamming techniques that significantly reduce the enemy radar’s ability to acquire and track the target. The DBD can be deployed by the pilot or automatically in response to threats, providing crucial protection in highly contested airspace.
In the event that the enemy radar successfully tracks a target, it has the capability to employ deceptive tactics. FOTD can analyze and determine the most effective jamming techniques to disrupt the tracking of the aircraft. It can also use multiple transmissions to counteract more than one radar.
As a final resort, FOTD can divert the missile away from the aircraft and draw the missile’s focus onto itself if an RF missile has been launched at the plane by the enemy. Additionally, it can disrupt the missile’s tracking of the aircraft.
“With Dual Band Decoy, we are building on the ALE-55’s years of mission success as a high-powered jamming system,” said Don Davidson, director of the Advanced Compact Electronic Warfare Solutions product line at BAE Systems. “Dual Band Decoy delivers broad capability that can be installed on a variety of aircraft and is upgradeable to address future threats.”
The Dual Band Decoy (DBD) integrates the company’s custom integrated circuits, resulting in enhanced performance and increased capability while also reducing size, weight, and power requirements. DBD plays a crucial role in BAE Systems’ Intrepid Shield strategy, which aims to establish a protective barrier around platforms in heavily contested battlespaces by leveraging the entire electromagnetic spectrum to identify, exploit, and neutralize advanced threats.
Initial deployment of DBD will take place on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The development and implementation of DBD will be carried out at BAE Systems’ cutting-edge facilities in Nashua, N.H.
