US Marine Corps Intrepid Tiger II rotary-wing EW pod goes operational

[Zarvan]

The Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 EW pod seen on the UH-1Y starboard stores carrier prior to take off from the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp. Source: US Navy
Key Points

• The USMC's new AN/ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger II airborne communications-band electronic attack pod has begun flight operations
• A UH-1Y Venom from VMM-64 (Reinforced) performed a first sortie with the equipment on 8 July

The US Marine Corps (USMC) has begun operations with the (V)3 rotary-wing variant of the AN/ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger II airborne communications-band electronic attack (EA) pod.

In a photo release dated 11 July, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 264 (Reinforced), and 2nd Radio Battalion Detachment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, revealed that a UH-1Y Venom had commenced operational flying with Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 on 8 July from the assault ship USSWasp (LHD-1). Wasp was operating in the Atlantic at the time.

Intrepid Tiger II is a network-enabled family of systems that provides a Rapid Deployment Capability to support ground combat operations. Designed and developed by the US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in conjunction with the Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR's) Airborne Electronic Attack Systems and EA-6B Program Office (PMA-234), the Intrepid Tiger II pod addresses the USMC's requirement for counter-communications and irregular warfare radio-frequency target sets.

Suitable for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, the system has been engineered to deliver a distributed, adaptable and net-centric airborne EA capability that can be controlled from the cockpit or by a ground operator. Furthermore, the Intrepid Tiger II system can be rapidly reprogrammed to counter evolving and emerging threats, and allows for changing mission requirements mid-flight.

According to a USMC public release document on the Marine Air Ground Task Force EW concept, the Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 pod (at Block 1 standard) is intended to deliver Early Operating Capability with USMC light attack (AH-1Z and UH-1Y) helicopters. The UH-1Y performing the first operational flight was BuNo 168416, sidecode 32.

Flight testing of Intrepid Tiger II (V)3 began in June 2015 using a UH-1Y helicopter from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

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