The Phantom Phacts: AN/ALQ-126 NOISE DECEPTION JAMMER

Developed under Project CHARGER BLUE, the Navy's ALQ-126 was a further development of the ALQ-100 and was designed to intercept and process pulse signals, automatically select the optimum countermeasures technique, and then apply the technique. The system interfaces with the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and peculiar interface blanker. The system can operate in a stand-alone mode or as part of the Electronic Warfare (EW) suite. The AN/ALQ-126 is a power managed jammer with coverage up to the I/J bands capable of delivering in excess of 1 kW power per band at 4-5% duty cycles. A track breaker designed to defeat pulse-mode SAM and AAA radars, the Sanders ALQ-126 operations include main lobe blanking, inverse con-scan, range-gate pull-off and swept square wave modes. The AN/ALQ-126 installation typically uses fore and aft antennas with 60 degree beam width and 15 degree depression to cover surface threats. On many Navy aircraft the AN/ALQ-126 is supplemented by the ALQ-162 specialized continuous wave (CW) track breaker.

The F-4N was fitted with Sanders AN/ALQ-126 or -126B deceptive electronic countermeasures equipment. This included long antenna fairings mounted on the sides of the upper air intakes. These long fairings were the distinctive features which enabled F-4Ns to be externally distinguished from F-4Bs. The DECM antennae were in longer fairings than those used by the same equipment on the F-4J because of the difficulty in routing the cables.

F-4N AN/ALQ-126 Configuration

(click picture to enlarge)
1 - AN/ALQ-126 Fwd Receive Antenna
2 - AN/ALQ-126 Left Shoulder Antenna and Wave Guide Fairing
3 - AN/ALQ-126 Left Antenna Fairing (same as AN/ALQ-51/100)

(click picture to enlarge)
1 - AN/ALQ-126 Left Wing Antenna Fairing
2 - AN/ALQ-126 Aft Receive Antenna Fairing

(click picture to enlarge)
1 - AN/ALQ-126 Rt Wing Antenna Fairing

(click picture to enlarge)
1 - AN/ALQ-126 Right Antenna Fairing
2 - AN/ALQ-126 Rt Shoulder Antenna and Wave Guide Fairing

F-4J AN/ALQ-126 Configuration

(click picture to enlarge)
1 - AN/ALQ-126 Fwd Receive Antenna
2 - AN/ALQ-126 Left Shoulder Antenna and Wave Guide Fairing
3 - AN/ALQ-126 Fwd Left Fairing (Same as AN/ALQ-51/100)