The Need for SEAD and DEAD

SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) and DEAD (Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) are military missions designed to neutralize or destroy enemy air defense systems to ensure freedom of movement for friendly aircraft. Read below.

SEAD focuses on temporarily disabling or "suppressing" enemy radar, missile sites, and anti-aircraft weapons through jamming, decoys, and electronic warfare. The goal is to reduce the threat to friendly forces without necessarily destroying the systems.

DEAD goes a step further by aiming to permanently destroy enemy air defense assets, typically through precision airstrikes with a combination of Anti- radiation Missiles & other required standoff missiles. This ensures a lasting reduction in the enemy's air defense capability.

Both missions are crucial in gaining air superiority and enabling safe air operations in hostile environments.

SEAD capabilities of different nations

An Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM) is a missile designed to detect(these missiles are equipped with active radar homing seekers which are made to locate radio frequency emissions), target, and destroy enemy radar and other electromagnetic emitters. It homes in on the radio frequency (RF) emissions from radar systems, communication devices, and other electronic sources, making it highly effective in targeting air defense systems. ARMs are commonly used in SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) missions to neutralize threats that could endanger friendly aircraft by disabling or destroying enemy radar sites and missile guidance systems.

For these missions Americans use EA-18 G (Growler) armed with multiple dedicated electronic attack jammers, anti-radiation missiles & air to air Missiles for self defence, Americans have a huge defence budget they can afford different platforms for different operations.

Israelis came up with a smart solution of the problem as lack of defence budget can't compromise with the capability so they developed a podded electronic attack jammer called "Skyshield" it can be attached with the existing fighter jet arsenal of the Israeli Air Force, with Anti radiation missiles & other required ammunition it can perform similar missions like EA-18 Growlers.

Chinese developed a similar aircraft like EA-18 Growlers called as J-16D which is a copy of Sukhoi's Su-30. J-16D EW capabilities are already tested, proven, and operational. It would still need to be integrated with the Chinese Shaanxi KJ-500, which is the PLA Air Force’s (PLAAF) version of an American AWACS airplane for early warning and air battle traffic control. More problematic would be the capability of the J-16D jamming and deceiving an American AWACS airplane such as the E2-C Hawkeye. That would be a challenge that could lead to the potential anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) of the U.S. Navy in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea. Moreover, Taiwan is endangered too. The J-16D could jam and spoof radar systems in Taiwan and allow for a decisive aerial bombing campaign against the Taiwanese.

The Indian Air Force is also upgrading its EW capabilities by replacing the SAP 518 pods on Su-30MKI aircraft. While India is working on the Anti-radiation Missiles series Rudram-1/2/3, works on dedicated electronic attack jammer aircraft is on or not is unknown. DRDO's Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) has already developed GaN based ASPJ(Advanced Self Protection Jammer). This functions as the electronic self defence suite for the aircrafts.

Sophisticated militaries the world over use electronic warfare systems as the modern-day battlefields are dependent on information suites. The Indian Air Force should work and develop its own EW system, then only its operational and combat capability could be expected to rise significantly in a volatile regional security architecture.

Sources: Wikipedia.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Hunter-Chen, Defence Decode.