Electronic Warfare Guide

[simovitch]

Electronic warfare devices can be found on various aircraft and perform various offensive or defensive functions. Below is a list of each device and a brief description of its function. The "effectiveness" sections gives you an indication of the performance differences between the different devices.

ECM/RCM aircraft are equipped with radar jamming devices. Fly in pairs or better to get the best out of them, a single ECM/RCM may not be strong enough to jam out all signals. Either send them out as a stream, or send them out as pairs/trips to a area to block out.

Naxos - radar detector, carried by German Night Fighters. Used to home in on H2S radar, which is commonly carried by British pathfinder bombers.
max detection range: 33 miles
effectiveness: 40

Flensburg - radar detector, carried by German Night Fighters. Used to home in on Monica radar.
max detection range: 45 miles
effectiveness: 35

FuG 202 - aircraft radar, earliest version of the German airborne radar fitted in Axis night-fighters.
max detection range: 2 miles
effectiveness: 8* [the asterisks (*) indicates that this radar's effectiveness is greatly reduced by 'Window', which were clouds of aluminum strips used to jam Axis search radar.]

FuG 212 - aircraft radar similar to FuG 202, improved range and effectiveness.
max detection range: 2.5 miles
effectiveness: 9*

FuG 220 SN-2 - aircraft radar, airborne radar fitted in Axis night-fighters. Immune to jamming by 'Window'.
max detection range: 4 miles
effectiveness: 40

FuG 240 Berlin - aircraft radar, derived from a captured H2S radar. Immune to jamming by 'Window'.
max detection range: 5 miles
effectiveness: 50
[Note: Not available until 1945]

AI Mk.IV - aircraft radar, airborne radar fitted in Allied night-fighters.
max detection range: 3 miles
effectiveness: 30

AI Mk.VII - aircraft radar, airborne radar fitted in Allied night-fighters.
max detection range: 4 miles
effectiveness: 40

AI Mk.X - aircraft radar, airborne radar fitted in Allied night-fighters.
max detection range: 9 miles
effectiveness: 50

H2S - aircraft navigation radar, airborne ground-mapping radar fitted in British pathfinder bombers (noted by "*" in aircraft listing).
effectiveness: 55

H2X - aircraft navigation radar, airborne ground-mapping radar fitted in American pathfinder bombers (noted by "*" in aircraft listing).
effectiveness: 60

Gee, Oboe - aircraft navigation system, airborne navigation systems using radio beams for precision bombing in poor visibility over NW Europe (only).
max range: 300, 350 miles from the coast of England (the beams are actually projected from a coastal airfield and are effective only within the indicated miles; any aircraft performing missions outside their range will not benefit from the navigation system).
effectiveness: 55, 65

Monica - aircraft radar, fixed rearward-pointing radar fitted to British bombers to warn of attacking fighters.
max detection range: 15 miles
effectiveness: 40

Serrate - radar detector, used to home in on FuG 212 radar. Somewhat effective against other airborne radars.
max detection range: 10 miles
effectiveness: 50 vs FuG 212 (10 vs other airborne radars)

Serrate IV - radar detector, used to home in on FuG 220 SN-2 radar. Also effective against other airborne radars.
max detection range: 10 miles
effectiveness: 50 vs FuG 220 (40 vs other airborne radars)

Jostle - radio jammer, used to jam radio frequencies used by Axis ground controllers directing night-fighter interceptions.
max range: 100 miles
effectiveness: 20
[Note: If a night fighter is within 100 miles from a unit with Jostle radio jammers, its communication ability might be jammed, and you will lose control of the unit for as long as the jamming is in effect.]

Mandrel - radar jammer, used to jam radar frequencies used by Axis ground search radars.
max range: 100 miles
effectiveness: 20
[Note: Effective use of these jammers is represented on the map with small red circles appearing around Axis radar stations.]

Piperack - radar jammer, used to jam FuG 220 SN-2 airborne radar. Also effective against other airborne radars.
max range: 20 miles
effectiveness: 15 vs FuG 220 (10 vs other airborne radars)

Airborne Cigar - radar jammer, used to jam FuG 212 airborne radar. Also effective against other airborne radars.
max range: 40 miles
effectiveness: 20 vs FuG 212 (5 vs other airborne radars)

Airborne Grocer - radar jammer, used to jam FuG 202 airborne radar. Also effective against other airborne radars.
max range: 50 miles
effectiveness: 20 vs FuG 202 (10 vs other airborne radars)

ELINT receivers - radio intelligence equipment, used to gather information on Axis radio and radar transmissions. Such information eventually led to development of devices to jam radars and disrupt Axis communications.
max range: 100 miles
effectiveness: 25

[mark dolby]

Excellent info, thanks for that.
I have a question about NF bounces.
I believe I read that bombers are bounced from head on and fighters from behind by Axis aircraft.
Do NF bounce bombers from behind, and if equipped with SM guns, below? I think it would be hard at night to attack from head on even in the single engined Wilde Sau.

[simovitch]

In BTR the attacking aircraft can approach the defending aircraft from seven different directions:

(a) above-front
(b) below-front
(c) above-side
(d) below-side
(e) above-rear
(f) below-rear
(g) directly-below

This direction is used to determine the convergence speed of the aircraft and which guns on the defending aircraft may be used for defensive fire.

Only Axis nightfighters equiped with upward firing cannon (SM) may attack from directly below.

Fighters with DIRECT tactics will attack from a random direction (front, side or rear). If they start with an altitude advantage then they will attack from above otherwise they will attack from below.

Fighters with BOUNCE tactics will attempt to engage LEVEL-BOMBERS from the front and all other aircraft types from the rear. Bounce is probably not a good doctrine for attacking Bomber Command.

During a firing pass the attacking aircraft will converge with the defending aircraft.
As the aircraft draw closer both the attacker's and defensive fire will be more accurate. Head-on attacks will have fewer chances to inflict and receive damage than attacks from the rear.