October 2000 - Training for the Future

The Aircraft Survivability Equipment and Electronic Warfare Officer Course

by Maj. Gen. Anthony Jones and Col. John Powell

             Today's Army aviator will face a battlefield strewn with weapon systems linked to radar and other devices that operate within the electromagnetic spectrum. All of these mechanisms have the same goal - to reduce an aviation unit's warfighting capabilities. These weapons are an imminent danger to aircrews and they also jeopardize the commander's ability to accomplish the mission.

            The Aircraft Survivability Equipment and Electronic Warfare Officers Course (ASE/EWOC) is a graduate-level, professional-development course designed to train aviation warrant officers in the art of electronic warfare. The mission of the ASE/EWOC is to provide commanders with an expert trained to analyze the threat of air-defense systems and counter those systems using the combat multiplier of aircraft survivability equipment (ASE).

            Located at Fort Rucker, Ala., and under the command of Headquarters and HQs. Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade, the course is offered 12 times a year and can accommodate up to 30 students. It is a two-week program of instruction presented in three major blocks: Duties and Responsibilities of the EWO; Theory and ASE System Diagnostics; and Mission Planning. Students must have at least a secret clearance to attend the course. Upon completion of the course, warrant officers are awarded the additional skill identifier of H3 EWO. The course is also a prerequisite for all tactical operations officers. 

            In the ASE/EWO course threats ranging from small arms to third-generation man-portable air-defense systems are broken down by guidance type and EWOs are trained to analyze each system's strengths and weaknesses. Placing a trained ASE/EW (ASI-H3) officer in each aviation unit reduces the risks that aviators may face in future battles.

   The ASE/EWO training includes analyzing radar, infrared, laser and electro-optical threats. Students utilize the Air Force Tactic, Techniques and Procedures Guide 3-1 Vol. II (AFTTP 3-1 Vol. II), the Multi-Services Electronic Combat Bulletin Board system (MSECBBS), Electronic Warfare Threat CD-ROM and other sources to determine if an air-defense system is a threat to Army aircraft. If it is determined to be so, can it be detected, decoyed and jammed? Through detailed analyses of air-defense systems, aviators learn to apply tactics, techniques and procedures to specific threats.  Understanding the capabilities and limitations of an adversary lifts the smoke of doubt and allows the aviator to make decisions based on facts.

            Knowing the purpose and proper use of all ASE is a major part of the EWO training. In the ASE/EWO course, officers learn the skills and knowledge needed to assist the commander in dealing with the lethal threats on the modern battlefield. The EWO is trained on the systems for all tactical helicopters and Special Electronic Mission Aircraft suites in the Army inventory.  They are then capable of training the crewmembers on the correct operation and employment procedures for each piece of ASE in the unit, the tactics associated with the equipment, and ultimately increase the crew's chance of survival.

            ASE uses the laws of physics to provide early warning and protection for Army aircraft when engaged by an air-defense system. It is not an illusion performed with smoke and mirrors; its truth is based on mathematical fact. The best ASE in the inventory is the trained aviator with knowledge and understanding of the capabilities and operating systems of his equipment and his adversary. The Electronic Warfare branch at the U.S. Army Aviation Center is determined to continue to modernize and update ASE/EW training to meet the changing threats. The USAAVNC's goal is to assist aviation commanders in accomplishing the mission.

  The ASE/EW officer is the link to the future for the modern aviation unit commander and is one more way to ensure that our aviators retain the overmatch that is demanded in highly complex environments. 

Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Jones is commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., and chief of the aviation branch.