ALQ105

AN/ALQ-105 is a historical airborne electronic warfare (ECM) system—the aircraft radar-jamming pod used by the U.S. Navy/Air Force. Its primary role was to degrade or spoof enemy radars to protect the host aircraft during missions, especially in contested airspace. The system was a large, modular pod containing jammers and signal-processing gear, mounted on a underwing or centerline station. It operated across multiple radar bands using analog, broadband jamming techniques typical of its era. Introduced in the 1960s and used into the 1970s–1980s, it was eventually superseded by newer, more compact, digitally controlled ECM platforms. It’s viewed as an important early step in airborne ECM and SEAD capability development.

Here are concise features of AN/ALQ-105 (airborne ECM system):
- Purpose: self-contained radar jamming and deception for aircraft self-protection.
- Frequency coverage: broad bands to counter existing threat radars (multi-band operation).
- Jamming modes: continuous noise jamming, directed/spot jamming, and barrage/deception modes.
- Antenna system: multiple antennas (directional and/or omni) for coverage and nulling against threats.
- Threat sensing: integrated radar warning/ELINT processing to detect enemy emissions and select jamming mode automatically.
- Power and cooling: self-contained power supply and cooling for high-power transmitter operation.
- Modularity: field-replaceable modules with standard interfaces for maintenance and upgrades.
- Aircraft integration: designed to populate with aircraft avionic/ECM controls and cockpit indicators; supports operator control and monitoring.
- Reliability: rugged, MIL-spec construction with built-in test and diagnostics.
- Operational status: used on various platforms and allied services as part of early airborne ECM suites.

Manufacturer: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (the company later became part of Northrop Grumman).
What kind of company: An American aerospace and defense contractor that designs and manufactures aircraft, spacecraft, and defense electronics.

ALQ-105 is an airborne electronic countermeasure (ECM) pod. Its application areas include:
- Jamming and deceiving enemy radar (search, tracking, and fire-control)
- Suppressing/denying air-defense networks (IADS) to protect strike/recon aircraft
- Electronic self-protection for host aircraft against radar-guided missiles
- SEAD/DEAD operations by shaping the RF threat environment
- Flight-test and EW development/training roles for evaluating radar and countermeasure performance

AN/ALQ-105 is an airborne electronic countermeasures (ECM) system, not a single package type. It’s a complete ECM suite with rack-mounted cabinets and antenna arrays installed in aircraft (e.g., B-52).