ALQ-213
Originally a Danish Air Force design for their F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, the AN/ALQ-213(V), called a Electronic Warfare Management System (EWMS) by its designer, the Danish electronic firm Terma, the more general term for its function is electronics countermeasures suite controller. It is now used on different aircraft, by different countries, all with the goal of reducing workload, especially on single-seat aircraft. It also assists the crew in fusing the information from the multiple on-board electronic warfare subsystems.
The system is used by by Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United States.
Systems controlled
Types of system (see ALQ-213/Related Articles) for list include electronic warfare expendables dispenser, radar warning receivers, radar jammers, and missile launch warning systems.
Means of control
Both military-specific (e.g., MIL-STD-1553) and COTS (e.g., Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485 connectivity is available, so arbitrary electronics subsystems can be added.
Control of the ALQ-213
Parameters of known threats can be loaded into the system using a plug-in PCMCIA Tactical Data Cartridge (TDC). This cartridge will also record tactical information learned during missions, for use by intelligence analysts and mission planners.