CHAPTER FIVECONCLUSIONFUTURE ARDF DEVELOPMENT Regardless of the outcome of any dontrinal discussion, the state of teh art of ARDF/COMINT should not be allowed to stand still. To do so wold be to lose ground to other service or enemy technological advancements. Although the EC-47 ALR 34/35/38, "X", "Y", "Z", and "Q" console configured aircraft performed an admirable job from 1968 through mid-1970, there were nontheless shortcomings whose elimination cried out for early action. Among the shortcomimgs were these:
. ALR-34 still required manual plotting.
. Standoff range limited to ten miles for accurate
fixes.
. ARDF effective only against vertically polarized
emission.
. Although UHF transmissions could be intercepted,
ARDF did not have the frequency spectrum to fix them.
. Minimum acceptable fix set at 250 meters-over 800 feet.
. Airframe limited in interior space and subject to
gross weight restrictions and short sortie time.
Hq USAF Requirements Action Directive of April 1968 proposed a plan for an upgraded Tactical Electronic Operational Support (TEOS) system. Although many of the propoxed capdbilities were subsequently incorporated into existing airframes, several problems or questions, including which aircraft were best fitted to carry some of the new equipment, had not been answered as this was being written. Among these future needs were the following:
. A means of manually or automatically detecting,
identifying, and accurately locating HF, VHF, and UHF
emitters up to 100 miles from the aircraft.
. Methods of accuately fixing transmitters, using either
vertical or horizontal polarization.
. An ARDF system capable of fixing emitters, regardless
of polarization, with accuracy on the order of 150 feet.
. A display system to depict simultaneously the
location of the TEOS platform with respect to the
ground environment, and the status of emmiters
within range.
. A radio fingerprinting capability to assist in emitter
identification, regardless of whether the transmitter
was CW or voice mode, operator change, or language used.
This report will not attempt to speculate on the outcome of these proposals or of those to come later, since doctrinal considerations have not been ironed out, and the end of hostilities could radically alter funding, role, and mission concepts. Much has been done in the ARDF/COMINT mission as conducted by the EC-47 in SEA. Its product and value have been proved. What more can or will be done remains to be seen.
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