Electronic Warfare and the Moscow Criteria

"The Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command had finished the Second World War in proud possession of 100 Group. This was the world’s first dedicated, holistic offensive counter-air unit. 100 Group was tasked with attriting the radars, radio communications and radio navigation systems used by the Luftwaffe’s Integrated Air Defence System (IADS). No sooner had the war finished, than 100 Group disbanded. As the Cold War chilled, Bomber Command faced a new threat. No longer were bombers to be sent over enemy territory night after night to wear down the enemy. Strategic air power had not disappeared but had changed in character. Bomber Command’s emerging strategic bomber V-Force was tasked with what would be one-way missions. They would run the gauntlet of Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact IADS. If they got to their targets, they would deliver an atomic weapon. Repeated strikes would be unlikely. Thus, the late 1950s and early 1960s witnessed a profound shift in RAF electronic warfare. No longer was EW to be used to help roll back a hostile IADS. Instead, electronic warfare adopted a more tactical orientation: Simply provide enough protection to get the bombers to their targets. This webinar will show how Bomber Command reoriented its EW posture in the wake of the Second World War. It will detail electronic warfare system implementation across the V-Force. The webinar will explain the roles EW was expected to play and how the Command’s Cold War EW posture took the RAF out of the operational level EW business for many years, until now!"