It’s called The Angry Kitten. And my oh my, is it ever angry. In more ways than one. This little kitten has claws..It is in fact, the name for an experimental ECM pod — that is, electronic countermeasures..ECM is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy. And while that may sound rather technical in nature, it could make America’s lethal MQ-9 Reaper drone, one of the most formidable weapons on the planet..According to a USAF press release, the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron completed the first round of MQ-9A Reaper ground and flight testing with the Angry Kitten ALQ-167 ECM pod at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada just last month..What exactly does that mean?.Developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the pod provides the MQ-9 elevated Electronic Attack (EA) capability against 'relevant' ground and airborne threats, the release said. This capability enhances survivability for the Reaper and other friendly forces, and complicates adversary planning efforts. In other words, finding and destroying the enemy, and blocking them from killing the Reaper..According to the USAF, the test focused on proving the concept of conducting EA from the MQ-9 to provide planners new force application options when confronting Pacing Challenge threats. The latter means America’s most technologically sophisticated adversary — China..Department of Defense boss Gen. Lloyd Austin, labelled them as the United States’ most significant foreign competitor when he took the job in 2021. “China … presents the most significant threat going forward because China is ascending,” Austin explained then. “Russia is also a threat, but it is in decline.”.The Angry Kitten represents the beginning of what the 556th TES hopes to achieve with the MQ-9 in the electronic attack sphere. Through participation in future Large Force Exercises (LFEs) such as Red Flag 23-3 and integrating with the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, the squadron aims to further develop Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) against complex target sets..“Electronic Attack on the MQ-9 is a compelling capability,” said Lt. Col. Michael Chmielewski, 556th TES commander. “Fifteen hours of persistent noise integrated with a large force package will affect an adversary, require them to take some form of scalable action to honor it, and gets at the heart of strategic deterrence.”.Better yet, the machine-learning software-equipped pod — it actually learns, as it goes — picks the best “optimal jamming technique from available options” and self-corrects if required..Earlier in April, the 556th TES also executed a Cold Integrated Combat Turn on an MQ-9 aircraft, which included simultaneous refuelling and rearming of four deadly Hellfire missiles.Overall, the event took less than 25 minutes, a record that crushes the standard three-hour typical turn time for the MQ-9 and only added 4 minutes to the previously demonstrated rapid refuel procedures that did not include weapon reloading..Lt. Col. Stephen Graham, the Angry Kitten’s operational test director, said the data files use an open-source programming language, while the software itself is government-owned — making it possible for different entities to quickly develop and field software updates..Electronic warfare, or EW, is an invisible fight for control of the electromagnetic spectrum, used to communicate with friendly forces, to identify and suppress opponents, and to guide weapons. Dominance of the spectrum will be critical in a fight with near-peer competitors..Take note, Beijing. The Reaper is poised to become stronger and one day it just might end up on your doorstep, in the South China Sea.
