Author Topic: Jam It!  (Read 7537 times)

Offline Silver Fox

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Jam It!
« on: May 07, 2014, 01:43:14 PM »
In early 2006, when the Interim Contracted Airborne Training System (ICATS), contracted was not renewed (there were in fact no complaint bidders… again), the Canadian Air Force found itself without tan airborne Electronic Training capability. Several schemes were proposed, none of them fully satisfactory to the Air Force or to the governing Liberal Party. Air Force desires were too expensive, Liberal suggestions too little to accomplish the tasks.

The Government of the day won out, and in March of 2007, three Challenger 605 airframes were purchased and sent to Field Aviation in Toronto, there to undergo conversion to New Electronic Warfare Training Systems. The Air Force was less than thrilled as three aircraft was the bare minimum requirement, and the equipment fit was less than the Air Force had enjoyed before its first foray into using Challengers as EW trainers. Minimal by any standard, they were functional… but just barely.

The one saving grace in the whole acquisition was the fact that the Liberals, faced with an election that might be called at any moment, had elected that the Challengers all be new-builds. They hoped to win votes in Quebec with the purchase. The Air Force had hopes that this would mean that at some point in the future, operational deficiencies might be corrected.

Air Force hopes were partially realized in early 2008 when a hard-pressed Liberal government expanded the purchase to five airframes for EW use, and a further two to replace older utility aircraft. Late 2008 would see Air Force fortunes change in a way that few could have predicted. Dogged by persistent scandals, the Liberals entered a Federal Election with hopes of a slim minority (allowing an alliance with Canada’s other leftist party) or perhaps, a slim Conservative minority.

Stephen Harper’s stunning win, taking 57% of available Parliamentary seats marked a strong Conservative majority. Canada was deeply involved in the Afghan War, and now Prime Minister Harper had campaigned strongly on the need to equip warfighters with tools to do the job and reduce casualties. The so-called “Dozen of Darkness" years under Liberal rule which had seen Canada’s combat power erode were to be put right, and right away.

Army Generals were pleased, Navy Admirals were aghast and Air Force Generals… confused, at what this might mean for acquisitions. The Army certainly need upgrades, the lack of certain pieces of kit was costing lives. The Admirals saw only that the Navy was basically uninvolved in the struggle over wadis and grape farms, how to sell the Government on Naval needs (growing critical) when the Navy seemed on the sidelines?

For the Air Force the situation was confused. They had new planes in the pipeline, but not warplanes. Worse… the new planes were not even aircraft that might be called upon to support troops in the field. The Air Force Generals had no idea what to expect when called before the new Defence Minister for a briefing on the new direction to take going forward.

Present at the meeting was the new to politics Laurie Hawn, former Commanding Officer of CFB Cold Lake… and a fighter pilot. The Generals were happy to see a friendly face, but worried. A fighter pilot and experienced military officer might just mean that a lower priority would be placed on the new EW training aircraft. Certainly, there would be no tactical loss if the program was cancelled, but the loss would reduce efficiency in a way that didn’t bear thinking of.

It was a complete shock then when ten minutes into the meeting MP Laurie Hawn interrupted and brought up the Challengers. “Gentlemen,” he said “I have a directive from the Prime Minister concerning the Challenger acquisition. I suppose it comes as no surprise that the Liberal program is hereby scrapped.” He held up a hand to forestall the objections already rising through the calm demeanour of the Generals. “Generals, I know. You were counting on the new planes to meet minimal EW training goals. But; let’s be honest, there is a live shooting war going on. Canadian troops in the field are getting killed or injured and new thinly-equipped EW trainers won’t help that at all.”

Colonel Hawn went on mercilessly, “It simply can’t be done, politically it would be suicide. Militarily, it might as well be murder. We need assets that can support the Army in the field and we need those assets now.” His face became grim, set with the determination needed to over-ride decades of training that said these men were his superiors. Intellectually he knew that as an elected MP, his was the gun-hand. The military followed civilian direction, and that was that. “The New Electronic Warfare Training System Program has been shelved. Period.”

Colonel Hawn then relented and a sly grin crept across his face. “NEWTS!” he said. “What idiot, errr… gentleman, came up with that one? No matter, NEWTS has been shoved back under whatever slimy rock it was pulled from.” The grin broke into a full fledged smile and he announced, “Instead, the Air Force will be getting the seven aircraft already under contract, and another nine being contracted for as we speak. The first fourteen airframes will be converted to full, not partial, EW training standards. Furthermore, the new planes are being based on the Field Aviation Multi-Mission Aircraft package. You’ll be getting the EW systems, but also the optical turret and the centreline pylon. The new planes will have an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability that can be put to good in Afghanistan immediately. You can start planning to deploy the first two or three planes as soon as crews are qualified in the ISR role.”


End of Part One

Edit: To change Challenger 604 to the more correct for timeframe 605.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2014, 11:52:06 PM by Silver Fox »

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #1 on: May 22, 2014, 01:09:28 AM »
Part II

March of 2007 had seen two Challenger "green" Challenger 605 sitting on the ramp at the Bombardier plant. These were immediately delivered to the Field aviation modification centre in Toronto. They were to sit there for 6 months until it was possible to bring them into hangar for modification, Field being swamped with conversion work for Q100 series Patrol Aircraft.

When Field turned to the Challengers in October, they faced a conundrum... the Government specifications suggested something akin to the Multi-Mission Aircraft, but certainly not the full package. Field simplified the package through a simple expedient, ballast would be added in those areas where equipment would have added weight. This would prove fortuitous, when fortunes changed it would be a simple matter to reverse this and install the full package.

Work was complete on the airframes by late December 2007 and Field was waiting only on the Government-supplied Electronic Warfare packages. The Government of the day had announced (and re-announced) the packages, but had yet to approve funding. There was some speculation that this was intentional. The Government intending perhaps to get through the election and then cancel the project. Early 2008's announcement of an expansion also saw the EW packages contracted for. The communication packages that formed part of that was readily available, but the jamming gear was slower to arrive. The EW package also provided a complication, the Government intended to use external pods similar to those used by the CT-133 jammers. Field had a centre-line pylon design for the Challenger, but not underwing hardpoints.

The Canadian Forces Aeronautical Engineering and Test Establishment (AETE) in Cold Lake, Alberta provided the answer. They had designed, and fitted their CX-144 Challenger (a Challenger 604) with two underwing stations on each side. Those pylons were already cleared for carriage of a number of stores, including the CT-133 EW pods. Field was a commercial partner of AETE and readily acquired the design. AETE testing had also provided more than enough detailed flight data to allow the variation to be rapidly cleared through the various regulatory hurdles for certification. AETE started a test program of the CX-144 in various configurations, certifying each in turn.

Field Aviation returned the Challengers, now designated as CE-144D's, to the mod shop for fitting of the underwing pylons and the EW gear. The first two CE-144D's rolled out, finally, in September of 2008. Aircraft three was well advanced in the mod shop and aircraft 4 had just arrived on the ramp. The project seemed well underway when the Federal Election was called.

The Conservative win was followed within a month by a swearing-in of the new Government, and a massive change in the program. CE-144401 (the first aircraft) and CE-144402 were in Cold Lake being operationally tested by AETE prior to being cleared for their new role. '401 would remain at AETE for testing. '402 was flown back to Field for a rapid modification bringing it to full MMA configuration. This would take only a few weeks at which point the two aircraft would switch places.

Three weeks in Toronto saw 144402 complete, but with only a rudimentary EW package. She did now boast a full MMA suite including APS-143 synthetic aperture radar, a retractable electro-optical/infrared turret, and internal chaff dispenser and a complete communications package with jamming capability. 144401 herself spent tree weeks in the Field shop, returning with not just the same package... but a welcome friend, 144403. While at AETE 144402 had experimented with, and been cleared to operate the SAAB ESTL Countermeasures Pod which included Missile Approach Warning. The pod required some minor modifications to the aircraft '402 had been modified by AETE, but '401 and all other aircraft would receive the modification at Field as part of a minor expansion to the MMA package.

Two months of extensive training at Cold Lake had produced five mission cleared flight crews for only three aircraft. This was a reasonable mix and further aircraft would not be available until they could roll off the Bombardier production lines. AETE's own Challenger was expected to be modified to the same standard in support of the project, so it was no surprise that the CX-144 was sent to Field Aviation. What was surprising was that instead of being brought to full Challenger 605 standard, it was left as a relatively stock Challenger 604 MMA. The Air Force announcing that the CX-144 was needed in support of "Urgent Operational Testing".

January of 2009 saw 414 (Combat Support) Squadron officially Stand-Up, with the three mission ready CE-144D aircraft. No home base for the Squadron was announced, but this was unnecessary as the Squadron would immediately deploy to Kandahar Airbase to provide Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) as well "other support" to Canada's combat troops in the Afghan War.

January 20th saw 414 Sqdn arrive in-theatre and conduct local flights to familiarize themselves with procedures and the terrain. January 23rd saw the Sqdn ready for Combat Operations and missions began in earnest.

End of Part II

Edited: Serial numbers were in the wrong places. :(
« Last Edit: May 22, 2014, 02:53:09 AM by Silver Fox »

Offline apophenia

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2014, 01:56:37 AM »
Very nice ... although Laurie is very ungallant towards the amphibians  ;)   I love where this is going  :)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2014, 12:17:50 PM »
Part III: Learning Curve

The initial operations of 414 (Combat Support) Sqdn went relatively smoothly, but not without a few hitches. One of the most awkward was the presence in Kandahar of the USMC’s VMFA-314, The Black Knights. Black Knight was also the familiar name of 414 Sqdn so it was a little embarrassing for both units to share a name. As 414 were the newcomers, they reverted to using their tactical designator “Yogi.” It was bad communications security, but not without precedent. The Yogis settled in well and initial operations had proved that the ISR capability was well suited to operations in the combat environment of Afghanistan.

The missions were stressful for the crews involved. On two separate occasions in early February, the Yogis watched helplessly as Canadian troops were pinned down amongst the grape farms while company-sized Taliban forces attacked. The attacks were broken up by Allied close air support without significant casualties to the Canadian troops, but they served to renew calls from within the Canadian Air Force for a CF-18 deployment. The Afghan war was not popular amongst the Canadian public, even as the troops themselves had gained a respect not seen in Canada in decades. Weighing the political and military situation carefully, the Conservative Government declined requests for a CF-18 Sqdn to join the Yogis in Kandahar.

February 21st saw two welcome additions to the Yogis’ strength though. First, early in the day 144404 arrived from its acceptance trials at AETE in Cold Lake. ‘404 was unique amongst the deployed Challengers, featuring a deeper nose profile and an enlarged radome which housed satellite-phone jammer. Sqdn strength was not to increase though, the arrival of ‘404 was the signal for ‘401 to return to the Field Aviation modification shop to be upgraded to the same standard.

The second arrival was sufficient stocks of the SAAB ESTL pods to allow permanent fitting to all deployed Challengers. As the pods offered greater survivability in a combat zone, they were a welcome addition.

Challenger ‘404 was to prove to be particularly useful. On her first three missions she detected satellite phone signals in areas where there was no human habitation or travel. On those missions she was unable to localized the signals, but on mission number four she successfully localized the signals in an area riddled with caves. The Canadian Army artillery unit nearby fired a “battery three”, or three rounds per tube on the location. The hills came alive, not with the sound of music, but explosions as more and more Allied units poured fire into the Taliban forces fleeing the cave complex.

Intelligence efforts would reveal that the Taliban had no idea how they had been detected. ‘404 was unable to repeat her success though as the Taliban increased their own operational security and severely curtailed the use of any electronic communication. The success brought a growth in Sqdn morale though; the Yogis no longer saw themselves as passive observers. The destruction of the Taliban base was as much a Sqdn victory as it was for the “shooters” involved. The pre-War rivalry, which had seen the shooters claim superiority over the airborne observers had been swept away. The ground forces knew full well that without the detection and destruction of the Taliban base, that those forces would have played havoc with security throughout the Province.

More than one Sqdn member was not fully satisfied, more than one member of the aircrew or groundcrew being of the opinion that electronic jamming was all well and good, but what they really needed was some way to jam the word-of-mouth communication that the Taliban increasingly relied on.

None of the other Sqdn members noticed the fleeting look exchanged between Major Mike Shea (Yogi 11), the delivery pilot of ‘404 and his Corporal Tech-crewman…

Note: Mike Shea was a real member of 414 (EW) Sqdn in the 1980’s. Tragically Mike lost his life while flying his personal Rutan Vari-Eze while enroute home from a fly-in. The Sqdn carried on, but his loss meant the end of the Falcon crew made up of himself, “Stretch” (co-pilot), "Toosh" (EWO)… and me the Corporal Tech-crewman. Mike, this story is dedicated to you, and to all my friends who made up the crew of Yogi 11 while we taught Electronic Warfare to those on the pointy-end.

End of Part III
« Last Edit: May 23, 2014, 12:42:00 PM by Silver Fox »

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2014, 12:36:16 PM »
Interlude:

Until this moment, reading the dedication to Mike, I had never realized how the Sqdn had coped with his loss. Yogi 11 (the crew callsign being that of the senior pilot) had been very effective and Mike's loss hit hard. We had all been friends, despite me being enlisted while they were officers. We were all single and deployment meant the hunt for willing women was on. On more than one occasion we hit the visiting Aircrew or Officers Messes on US bases. Mike Latouche (Toosh) would wear a nametag with his callsign on his flightsuit and I would borrow a nametag with his full name to wear on mine. Illegal yes, but a function of crew morale. :)

Over the next few mission we flew with the Sqdn CO, and he made every effort to mold himself to OUR patterns. An exemplary leader he took a broken, but valuable asset, and fixed it. He also learned how our crew functioned so that he might make other crews work as well. Shortly thereafter Stretch was made Aircraft Commander and a new pilot joined the crew of what would be Yogi 13. That new pilot was young and single... just like the rest of the crew.

The pic I use as my avatar was taken from the Cabin of Yogi 11, over the New Jersey coast.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2014, 12:39:05 PM by Silver Fox »

Offline apophenia

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2014, 09:34:06 AM »
Good stuff! Keep it coming  :)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2014, 08:43:24 PM »
Part IV: Is Chivalry Dead?

March 7th saw the arrival in Kandahar of a Canadian CC-177 (C-17) carrying a large amount of spares for the Yogis as well as an even dozen extra groundcrew. The extra groundcrew would relieve some of the workload the maintainers had been suffering.  The spares were the real present though, included was a delivery of two AN/APS-143 radar pods.

A single pod had been available as the aircraft were modified, this pod had stayed at AETE in Cold Lake for operational testing purposes. That testing had revealed some integration possibilities as well as a possible expansion of the radar's own capabilities. The two delivered pods were the two of the first three AN/APS-143(CAN) sets delivered by the manufacturer. The other pod was back at AETE for further testing.

The new AN/APS-143(CAN) was essentially a stock APS-143(C)V3 Maritime Surveillance radar combined with the programming and electronics of the larger APS-143G(V)1, which was used on Canada's CP-140 Aurora. The combination offered the Challengers the overland scanning ability of the Aurora, but on a smaller scale.

Unimportant over Afghanistan was another feature of the new radar... It was tied into the on-board electronic warfare system. AETE engineers had developed a 'Track while Jam' capability. The radar could develop a detailed radar picture even while using its own power to jam a similar capability from other radars.

When the Aurora community had lobbied to replace the Yogis a comparative head-to-head test had been conducted over the Primose Lake Range. The AETE CX-144 had built a radar image, satellite linked it to Air Command Headquarters... All while preventing the Aurora from either building it's own picture, or even telling anyone it was being jammed.

The Aurora community was livid, but complaints fell on deaf ears. It was pointed out that if the Aurora crews couldn't deal with hostile electronic warfare, a war zone was hardly a suitable place for employment. They were also informed that as soon as 414 (Combat Support) Sqdn was available from its current duties, it would be made available to bring the Aurora crews up to speed on EW techniques.

The Aurora commander on his rage never heard what Commander, Air Command said to his back while he was leaving. "If we weren't under wraps they would have Lima'd your ass".


Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2014, 03:24:19 AM »
Part V: Return on Investment

March 10th saw an early day sortie by 144404 in support of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry efforts to open the major trade route through Kandahar Province. Yogi 11 (Major Shea commanding) was scanning the road and surroundings for signs of Taliban activity while in the back the Electronic Warfare Officer (Captain Latouche) was using not only the electro-optical turret and radar, he was experimenting with the full sensor suite.

The satellite jamming/detection gear provided the first hint of trouble. One-half mile ahead of the PPCLI convoy the system detected a functioning sat-phone. Capt. Latouche slaved the EO/IR turret to that area and observed a bare stretch of road. This was obviously a bad sign, the phone might very well be buried as the trigger for an IED. He was just about to report the finding to the aircraft commander when he was interrupted by the Tech Crewman, "Sir? Look at the infrared line scanner."

Captain Latouche was momentarily annoyed, but that turned to curiosity when he saw the display. The line scanner showed the clear path of vehicle traffic over the road. The faint traces of oil dropped by every vehicle left a distinguishable path that the scanner could read... except for a single "fuzzy" patch... His head snapped up and he compared coordinates. The line scanner showed the fuzzy patch right where the sat-phone was detected.

"Mike, check the sensor displays. We have a probable IED emplaced on the road." Latouche snapped off even as he processed the information and snapped it off via datalink to 21 Romeo, the PPCLI command vehicle. Seconds later the radar showed the PPCLI convoy spreading out into the fields beside the road, the various vehicles taking defensive positions.  Mike was quick to process what he saw and just as quick to respond, "Toosh, good call. Jam any sat phone signals, let's isolate this thing as much as possible."

21 Romeo sent a brief acknowledgement of the warning and called up his engineering element to inspect the suspected IED. He couldn't ignore the warning, but he wasn't all that sure they knew what they were doing. The Yogis were certainly skilled with the radar and EO/IR systems... but detecting an emplaced IED? He didn't understand how that might be possible given the tools he knew were available to the circling Challenger. Better safe than sorry was a good lesson t live by though, so ahead went the engineers to clear the road. The Buffalo route clearing vehicle had just started it's investigation of the suspect area when the road was shattered by a massive explosion. The Buffalo and crew survived relatively intact, but badly shaken. 21 Romeo was stunned, but a consummate professional. He snapped off orders to his troops to be prepared to repulse a ground assault, the standard post-IED tactic of the Taliban. Nothing came. After 30 long minutes of watching neither his troops nor the circling Challenger could detect any motion in the surrounding area. He surmised that the Taliban had chosen wisely and fled the blown ambush rather than stay and fight once they saw his troops deploy. He was grateful for the reprieve, but wary of what such good Taliban tactics meant for future encounters. Then again, he mused, perhaps the Challengers could blow more ambushes. If the Taliban were seen as ineffective it was as good as defeating them. The Taliban needed to be seen as effective counters to the allied forces or they would be ignored.

21 Romeo sent a rather warm thank you to the crew of the orbiting Challenger and then settled his command in for the wait while a recovery vehicle came to repair his damaged Buffalo.

Overhead, Yogi 11 settled in to wait as well. The crew was rather pleased with themselves, they had detected and seen neutralized a threat that would have undoubtedly destroyed the first Light Armoured Vehicle to hit the massive IED. On the ground, more than one member of the PPCLI looked up in silent thanks to their guardian angel.

Offline apophenia

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2014, 08:19:28 AM »
Excellent stuff! Love your UV/IR line scanner angle on IEDS  :)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2014, 10:04:11 AM »
I figured if the line scanner can see a thin film of oil on water it should be able to see the various particulates and oil drops on a road. Disturb the road and the trace gets disturbed. Don't know if it would really work... but a little artistic license seemed fair enough.

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2014, 12:11:44 PM »
Part VI: Winchester?

March 17th saw the start of a busy day for Allies. Numerous Allied positions and forces were under attack by Taliban forces. Calls for air support were accelerating and twice during the last few hours there had been brief moments when air support was unavailable due to
the number of targets that required servicing.

The Yogis were busy designating targets for engagement by Close Air Support or tube artillery. In one memorable engagement Yogi 14's EWO used the SLAR radar to lock up Taliban targets for an Excalibur GPS artillery engagement while the Tech Crewman used the EO/IR system to designate a target for USMC F-18's from VMFA-314.

The Yogis had three airframes available, but only two had responded to the surge in operations. 144404 had been frantically worked on by the groundcrew, lifting off almost an hour later than it's two sisters. It was barely airborne when '403 landed to be met with the same frantic level of work. When '403 returned to the air '402 took it's turn on the ramp and the ministrations of the waiting groundcrew.

'402 was not destined to be airborne before Yogi 11 and Yogi 14 showed the full capability of the new Challengers. A truck bomb and two suicide bombers had attacked a Canadian artillery encampment that was supporting a USMC company-level sweep. The Canadians had suffered few casualties, and no dead, but the artillery was out of the fight. The suicide strike had destroyed much of the stored and ready ammunition, including all the available stock of Excalibur rounds. The Canadians could still fire in support, but at extended range without the GPS-guided Excalibur it would be far less effective.

Resupply of the Canadian artillery position was scheduled, but the high volume of air evac calls meant that it would be almost an hour before a Chinook could be freed to fly in extra ammunition. The Marines had yet to face any opposition, so the decision was made to assign them a somewhat lower priority than forces heavily engaged. It was a decision that almost had disastrous consequences.

The first sign of trouble was a rather obvious IED emplaced on the road in the Marines path. 35-C, the Marine commander deployed his forces some 2000 yards short of the village that was to be his first major checkpoint. The bomb disposal unit was advancing to disarm the IED when a series of small explosion erupted in front of 35-C's deployed company. The commander was confused, the explosions were barely big enough to place his troops at risk, let alone his LAV-25 armoured vehicles. They had churned up some sand and gravel, but done no harm. Even more strange, the explosions were in an almost dead-straight line in front of his troops. Looking left and right from his position he could see the faint wisps of smoke the explosions had left, and the darker brown of the churned soil left in their aftermath.

The "shoop-shoop-shoop-shoop" of at least four mortars firing provided the answer 35-C had been unable to find. Unable to leave visible markers for pre-registered mortars, the Taliban had made the registration points visible only when needed. Undoubtedly there was a lookout or two in the minaret of the town's Mosque. Equally certain was that if he ordered his troops to engage the minaret, or even was slow in stopping if they should do so without orders, that the embedded press crews from CNN and Al-Jezeera aboard 35-G would gleefully report the Mosque's destruction. Unless he was fired upon from that position he was unable to visibly justify hitting the building.

Turning to his radioman he made the call to "ARGO" the airborne command post coordinating CAS flights.

"Argo, 35 Charlie. Request close air support at my position",
he pressed the button on his map display which would slug his troops current positions to Argo.

"35 Charlie, Argo. Negative your request. All airborne assets are currently engaged."
Aboard the E-3 Sentry acting as a command post the controller might have sounded bored, but he was anything but. Aircraft were engaging Taliban forces, declaring "Winchester" when out of ammunition, racing back to the bases for re-arming before re-entering the fight. The number of aircraft moving in the battlespace at any one time was staggering. Some idiot had even tagged the two unarmed Canadian Challengers, Yogi 11 and Yogi 14, as CAS assets. He deleted them from the queue and went back to looking who was coming back up and might be free for assignment.

"Argo, 35 Charlie. Please provide an ETA when support available, or when resupply of my assigned artillery can be accomplished."

The controller looked up the requested data and responded. "35 Charlie, CAS available no sooner than figures 55 minutes. Resupply helo available no sooner than figures 95 minutes."

35-C cursed, the ETA on his artillery resupply was even later than it had been 20 minutes earlier. He considered the tactical situation and determined that his LAV's could find and destroy the mortars. It was somewhat more dangerous than letting the flyboys do the job, but well within a Marine's job description. Ordering his armour forward he watched in horror as two were destroyed by mines as they advanced. A third took a mortar round on top of the turret and was even now starting to show the slow link of flame that meant it too was gone.

The remaining LAVs reached the village, only to be met by a flurry of RPG fire that destroy more than half their number. He ordered a retreat by the LAVs and saw that barely a quarter of their number rejoined his dismounted infantry. Even some of those were damaged, several showing flat tires that had slowed their return.

"Argo, 35 Charlie. I am taking heavy fore from the village. Multiple WIA/KIA. Request immediate support."

The controller on Argo cringed. He could see the icons of destroyed vehicles relayed to him via datalink. The Marines had taken a beating and undoubtedly more lay in store. "35 Charlie, Argo. Understand your request. Support available in figures 30 minutes. You have priority. Marine air slugged to your support as soon as available."

On the ground 35 Charlie also cringed. While he was talking to Argo the Taliban had opened up on his positions with heavy machine gun fire. Right now it was harassment, but between the mortars and the MG's his troops were pinned down. Two of his surviving LAV's had tried to silence the MG's, only to be targeted by multiple mortar tubes. One of the LAV's was lucky and retreated back under cover, the second was burning 300 meters to his right. The smoke billowing to the rear didn't even provide cover for his troops.

Aboard Yogi 11 Major Shea had been monitoring the Marines plight. The communication gear meant for jamming gave him the ability to listen to numerous frequencies at once, he was now using that to full effect. Calling Yogi 14 he devised a plan "Two, Yogi Lead. Join on me at Bravo". Bravo was the position of the Canadian artillery that Yogi 11 was now orbiting. "Two" was the only reply, but nothing more needed to be said.

It took only 7 minutes for Yogi 14 to announce it's arrival "Lead, Two with you, one half mile right echelon." Yogi 14 was now joined up half a mile to the right and astern of Yogi 11.

"Argo, Yogi Lead, flight of two. Available to support 35 Charlie".


The controller aboard Argo was confused. Yogi Flight? The Canadian ISR planes? Well surveillance and targeting for the shooters couldn't hurt. "Yogi Flight, cleared in support 35 Charlie. Will advise when CAS available and inbound."

"Argo, is Yogi Flight cleared hot?"


The controller was now even more confused, and it showed in his voice, "Yogi Flight, state aircraft type."

"Argo, Yogi Flight. Quantity two, Charlie Echo One, Fower, Fower Delta"

Argo consulted his reference and saw nothing which suggested the CE-144D was armed, but there was mention of multiple pylons. "Yogi Flight, Argo. Are you Winchester at this time?"

"Argo, Yogi Flight is NOT Winchester. I say again, Yogi Flight is NOT Winchester"

The controller was decisive, if the Yogis were not unarmed, get them in the fight.

"Yogi Flight, Argo. CLEARED HOT. I SAY AGAIN, CLEARED HOT."

On the ground, the Marines were not even aware that Yogi Flight had arrived on station. The two Challengers scanned the Marine positions and the Taliban positions in the village. They rapidly located all the Taliban positions as well, including the sat-phone signals emanating from the minaret of the village mosque. That signal was jammed, as was the nearby signal from the mortar positions. Once a good map of friendlies and hostiles was developed Yogi 11 called the Marines.

"35 Charlie, Yogi Flight with you. I understand you boys need some help?"

"Yogi, 35 Charlie. Roger that! We are pinned down by accurate indirect fire from the village." 35 Charlie hadn't noticed that for the last several minutes the fire from the village was no longer correcting on his troops.

Aboard Yogi 11 instructed Yogi 14 to orbit the village and maintain a senor picture, Yogi 11 would make the first attack.

Kandahar Air Base had been so busy that no one had noticed the changes in the Canadian Challengers. Pylons 1 and 5 (outer wing stations) had normally carried SAAB ESTL pods for self defence. Pylon 2 (centerline) had carried the APS-143 radar. Today though stations 2 and 4 carried something new, a pod that looked suspiciously like a SUU-20 practice bomb dispenser. In truth, the pods had been SUU-20's... until being modded by AETE.

The mods weren't even all that significant, and hadn't been meant for the CE-144D program at all. AETE had modded several pods to enable the carriage of practice laser guided bombs in support of CF-18 training. The pods now carried 4 practice LGB's as well as the normal 4x2.75" rockets. Onboard a CF-18 these would be practice rounds, fitted with smoke cartridges for target assessment. On board the Challenger they were fitted with live warheads.
« Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 01:54:38 PM by Silver Fox »

Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2014, 01:00:31 PM »
Part VII: Rolling In

The sensors aboard the two Challengers had detected 6 mortar positions and an equal number of heavy machine gun nests. Several concentrations of troops were also noted, presumably the RPG teams that had savaged the Marine LAV's.

Yogi 11 crossed over the village at fifteen thousand feet, well out of range of the Taliban MG's. She dropped her load of small LGB's and saw six of eight score direct hits on the targeted MG positions. All the MG positions were neutralized. Turning back over the village after her run out Yogi 11 locked up four of the Taliban mortar positions. Firing her rockets in pairs, one from each wing pod, the pilots watched as they flew out and then nosed over in terminal dives. The rockets were the new laser-guided variant of the highly successful CRV-7. All eight rockets scored direct hits, reducing much of the Taliban mortar capability to rubble. Secondary explosions from 3 of the positions marked the ready use ammunition cooking off.

Yogi 11 now "Winchester" assumed the scanning orbit while Yogi 14 attacked. Repeating the high level attack of her sister, Yogi 14 destroyed the remaining Taliban mortars. Attention was then turned to the four identified troop concentrations. A pair of small LGB's on each position was enough to render them combat-ineffective as well. That left only the observer in the minaret.

The Yogis conferred with 35 Charlie and a plan was devised.

Yogi 11 came screaming across the top of the minaret with a bare 50' clearance. She was almost a half mile clear when panicked AK-47 fire chased her into the gathering darkness. Yogi 11 and 35 Charlie both announced hostile fire from the minaret, the camera crews of both CNN and Al Jazeera captured the flashes of the AK-47's muzzle. Yogi 14 came out of the darkness from the east. Locking up the minaret 6 feet below the row of windows she ripple-fired her four remaining CRV-7's. All four smashed into the tower, cutting the top clean off.

The first two Hornets of VMFA-314 arrived some 6 minutes later. 35 Charlie had been relieved by the Challengers, but the sensors now showed almost 150 armed individuals fleeing toward the south-east. The Challengers designated targets for the two Hornets and watched as the Taliban forces were completely routed. The Challengers made an uneventful trip back to Kandahar, while Yogi 15 (144402) took station high above in the darkness.

The day's events had cost the Taliban dearly. Two major pushes on NATO bases had been stopped cold and the ambush of 35-C had come apart. NATO casualties were significant, Taliban losses virtually 100%.

At the Kandahar Air Base the Yogis welcome was subtle, but heart-felt. Entering the messhall the crews had looked for an open table only to be met by a Marine from VMFA-314.

"Hey guys, Black Knights eat over here."
« Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 01:55:51 PM by Silver Fox »

Offline Silver Fox

  • Talk to me Goose!
Re: Jam It!
« Reply #12 on: May 31, 2014, 01:47:26 PM »
Part VIII: Into Other Service

The efforts and exploits of 414 (Combat Support) Sqdn in Kandahar had been noticed by many. The US Coast Guard had been looking for a replacement for it's HU-25 Guardians, and the sensor capability of the Challenger seemed a good fit. The ability for the type to be armed also fit the USCG missions in wartime.

US Army interest was less anticipated, but no less welcome. As a sop to the Key West accord, the Army intended not to purchase the modified SUU-20 pods which armed the Canadian CE-144D's.

Contract negotiations were started, with both the USCG and the US Army suggesting Northrop-Grumman as lead contractor. Bombardier objected to handing any profit to a US company to essentially act as a front man. When contract negotiation stalled on this point the Canadian Government stepped in.

The Canadian Government suggested that the Canadian Air Force purchase all the required Challengers, transferring them into US service via a Foreign Military Sale. Congress objected, but a furor was raised when several allies pointed out that the FMS system was good enough to sell to them... but not buy from them?

Congress relented and 12 Challengers were purchased for the USCG and a further 28 for the US Army. Support for the US Challengers would be through the Canadian Air Force, not Bombardier. The Air Force in turn contracted the support to Bombardier.

The first examples of USCG, US Army and Transport Canada NASP Challengers were delivered in a public relations show in Ottawa. The US ambassador was on hand to accept the USCG and Army planes, as was the Canadian Transport Minister and the Minister of National Defence.

The Bombardier representative announced that the modified CL-605's now bore a new name and designation. From now on the CL-605M (Military) would carry the name "Conqueror".

Four Conquerors flew over the airfield at CFB Ottawa in formation. In the lead was the newly delivered air-superiority grey CE-144D 144406. On it's left wing was the bright red National Aerial Sovereignty Program example, on it's right was the red and white USCG type and flying trail was the grey US Army. It was an impressive display, made more impressive when the CE-144D banked out of formations and showed that on stations 2 and 4 she was carrying AIM-9L air-to-air missiles. When the NASP Conqueror banked away she was seen to be carrying a pair of Survival Kits, Air Droppable. The two US examples flew with only the radar pods, but few missed the point that the other pylons were indeed fitted.

The USCG was open about acquiring the Canadian SKAD packs, and the US Navy had already said that they were contracting for modifications to a number of SUU-20 pods for weapons capability on the USCG Conquerors in time of war. USN plans to modify 72 pods for a fleet of only 12 Conquerors fooled no one. The US Air Force objected, feeling that the fix was in to evade the Key West Accord with the US Army. The Army sought, and was granted an exemption for the Conqueror to carry the AIM-9 for self defence. A slight modification added "precision, low collateral damage weapons". The US Army immediately bought the USN's stock of excess modified SUU-20 pods.

The USAF was livid, but it was explained that the Conqueror was no better armed than the UAV's the Army already flew. USAF was not mollified, but relented. It was obvious there was no reason to waste political good will on such a minor matter. No one commented on USAF hypocrisy when they acquired 24 examples to form two Electronic Warfare training squadrons similar to 414 (CS).
« Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 06:28:46 PM by Silver Fox »

Offline apophenia

  • Perversely enjoys removing backgrounds.
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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2014, 10:36:11 AM »
Well, you've been busy  :)  Great stuff!

On the US purchases, the Defence Production Sharing Agreement would kick in there too (although Bombardier's predecessor, Canadair, learned the hard way that this was no guarantee of smooth sailing!).

Still, a US sub would make things easier. Wichita-based Learjet (part of Bombardier Business Division) seems a natural match ... and the LearStar 600 connection amuses ;)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
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Re: Jam It!
« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2014, 12:26:39 PM »
This thread needs pictures!
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Silver Fox

  • Talk to me Goose!
Re: Jam It!
« Reply #15 on: June 02, 2014, 12:41:20 AM »
I just do words. :)

Pictures have to come from elsewhere. LOL!

I chose the FMS route because it would allow the Canadian Forces to leverage the price of a total sale of some 80+ airframes/conversions. The "+" is whatever number is chosen for the National Aerial Sovereignty Program. I changed the name from National Aerial Surveillance Program because... well... when you hang a pair of -9L's under the wings "Get out" carries a *little* more weight. :)

IRL, it can't happen this way. Bombardier would make the US sales through Lear... or Field Aviation as an established US supplier would be front man.

*Author's note: Just before the original CE-144's entered Canadian service the CC-117 Falcons (EC-117/EW-117 to Sqdn members) were progressing toward their "Final Fit" configuration. Under discussion was the possibility of fitting the 4 under wing pylons such as those worn by the Falcon in Flight Safety International guise. One of the uses of the pylons would be the carriage of Air Combat Maneuvering Range pods. There is very little difference between the requirements for an ACMI pod and a Sidewinder.

This fact was not lost on the crews and maintainers of 414(EW) Sqdn. :)

We may see more adventures of the CE-114D Conqueror... this was fun and rather cathartic. Mike Shea, I'm sure that somewhere up there in your Angel wings you are laughing... as a pair of demons just stabbed each other with their tridents.

Never chase a jammer, you have NO idea where you might be going.