ESM Tu-95의 무선 통신을 방수해 항모에서 250마일 떨어진 곳에서 요격에 성공한 F-4

[위종민]

무선통신은 암호화돼 있어도 이를 방수하고 삼각측량을 통해 송신자의 위치를 파악할 수 있어서 A-7E 파일럿의 회고로는 표준화된 절차와 수신호, 조기경보기가 송출하는 조종 명령만 수신하는 Zip Lip이 기본이었고 무선통신은 민간 영공에서 페리 플라이트할 때만 최소한으로 사용했다고 합니다. 

USS 포레스탈이 북아라비아해에서 작전하며 전날 타슈켄트로 전진배치된 Tu-95 베어의 내습을 예상하던 중 Tu-95의 무선통신을 방수하고 위치가 타슈켄트에서 항모의 예상경로 부근이란 사실을 확인하고 팬텀을 띄웠다고 합니다. 팬텀 출격 후 20분만에 E-2가 Tu-95 2기 접근을 확인하고 F-4가 항모에서 250마일 떨어진 곳에서 베어 요격에 성공했다고 하네요. 

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/naval-aviator-recalls-when-his-aircraft-carrier-detected-two-soviet-tu-95-bombers-because-their-crews-were-sloppy-in-radio-usage-the-bear-were-intercepted-by-f-4s-at-250-miles-from-the-battle-group/

Naval Aviator recalls when his aircraft carrier detected two Soviet Tu-95 bombers because their crews were sloppy in radio usage

• Aircraft Carriers
• Cold War Era
• Military Aviation
• Naval Warfare

Naval Aviator recalls when his aircraft carrier detected two Soviet Tu-95 bombers because their crews were sloppy in radio usage (the Bear were intercepted by F-4s at 250 miles from the battle group)

By Dario Leone

Nov 27 2023

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In this article:

• Fighter pilots do not chat with each other in the way you see in Top Gun
• No communications or radio broadcasts unless absolutely necessary
• Aircraft carrier expecting Soviet Tu-95 Bears
• The aircraft carrier detects Soviet Tu-95 Bear bombers radio transmission
• Sloppy radio usage

Fighter pilots do not chat with each other in the way you see in Top Gun

Fighter pilots absolutely do not chat with each other in the way you see in the Top Gun movies: they know that anyone on the assigned frequency can hear what you say, unless you use encryption or other methods to conceal your communication.

Radio broadcasts can be intercepted and triangulated to reveal a position even if they are encrypted.

No communications or radio broadcasts unless absolutely necessary

‘So,’ as former US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot David Tussey says on Quora, ‘the rule of thumb is “no communications or radio broadcasts unless absolutely necessary as it can reveal your presence and possibly your location to the enemy.”

This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-4B Phantom II VF-51 Screaming Eagles, NL100 / 150456 / 1972

‘I’ve flown many sorties off the Carrier where not a word was spoken on the radio. We used standardized procedures, hand signals, and “in the blind” steering commands broadcast by the E-2 Hawkeye or AWACS. It was known as a “zip lip” operation, and that was the default.

‘The only time I’ve known of any chatting is perhaps on a cross-country flight in civilian airspace with 2 or more aircraft. There is some small talk on the squadron specific freq, but even that is kept to a minimum, such as “Dash 2, what’s your fuel state?” …”4.5″.’

Aircraft carrier expecting Soviet Tu-95 Bears

He recalls;

‘Here’s a sea story: One tour I was the Asst CIC Officer onboard USS Forrestal. I was standing watch as the Tactical Action Officer (TAO), basically the guy who “fights the ship”, launches alert aircraft, etc. We were in the North Arabian Sea. It was just after dawn.

‘That day we were expecting Soviet Bears to overfly us. We knew that two Bears had forward staged to Tashkent, Uzbekistan the day before. But we didn’t know if the Bears would launch to overfly us or not. The policy was to always escort the Bears when they approached the battle group.

The aircraft carrier detects Soviet Tu-95 Bear bombers radio transmission

A Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 flying over the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) during her 1982-1983 Western Pacific deployment.

‘It was a non-flying day, but aircraft were on alert. I was on watch. We detected an EW transmission in the frequency band we’ve seen Soviet Bears to use before. We could only tell that it was in the vicinity of the expected route from Tashkent to the carrier, not the exact position; probably hundreds of miles away. But that was enough to make the call – “Launch the alert aircraft”, and I had just sent the ship into ongoing flight operations on what was supposed to be a non-flying day.

‘Of course. the Captain and Admiral onboard called me on the phone. My immediate boss, the ship’s Operations Officer, felt my actions were a bit premature.

Sloppy radio usage

‘About 20 minutes after launch, the E-2 flying on the vector to the suspected radio transmission detected a pair of Tu-95 Bear aircraft inbound. The F-4s intercepted them at 250 miles from the battle group and they were escorted for the next couple of hours as they overflew our position. Success.’

Tussey concludes;

‘Moral of the story: The Soviet Bears were sloppy in their radio usage. Don’t use your radio unless absolutely necessary; it is likely to reveal your presence and position (and if the US can do this kind of EW intercept, I suspect the bad guys can too).’

Photo credit: U.S. Navy

[백선호]

구체적으로 어떻게 했는지는 모르겠지만 zip lip으로 한 경우도 있다네요.

http://cafe.daum.net/NTDS/51Tm/147

[위종민]

지금은 JPALS 등 착함보조장비까지 개발되고 있으니 저 당시와는 많이 달라졌을 것 같습니다.