USAF advances electronic warfare testing of EPAWSS suite for F-15

The US Air Force (USAF) is progressing electronic warfare (EW) testing of the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) upgrade for the Boeing F-15 combat aircraft, it announced on 14 April.

An F-15E Strike Eagle fitted with the EPAWSS electronic defensive aids system in the Benefield Anechoic Facility on Edwards Air Force Base, California. (US Air Force)

An F-15E Strike Eagle fitted with the BAE Systems EPAWSS electronic defensive aids system began the first phase of critical EW testing at the Benefield Anechoic Facility (BAF) on Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California, in May 2019. Testing is currently continuing at the same facility, the air force said.

“The ongoing tests are required to collect the data to establish the integration of the EPAWSS radar and missile warning capabilities and the electronic countermeasures (ECM) onto the F-15E platform,” Ed Sabat, Project Development Lead and Civilian Director of Operations with the 772nd Test Squadron was quoted as saying.

As noted by the USAF, the ongoing testing is a collaborative effort among the F-15 System Program Office (SPO) at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, the 96th Test Wing’s 46th Test Squadron at Eglin AFB in Florida, the 412th Test Wing’s 412th Electronic Warfare Group’s 772nd Test Squadron at Edwards and contractors, Boeing and BAE Systems.

The EPAWSS is designed to sample the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, identify threats, prioritise and allocate jamming resources against them, and is intended to replace the 1980s-vintage Tactical Electronic Warfare Suite (TEWS) currently fitted to the USAF’s more than 400 F-15C and F-15E-variant Eagles. It is also one of the systems earmarked for the USAF’s latest F-15EX Advanced Eagle.