Modern combat aircraft face threats from radar-guided air defence systems and guided missiles. These systems emit radar signals to detect, track, and guide missiles toward the aircraft. Electronic warfare (EW) has the task of detecting such threats and countering them — through warning, analysis, and active jamming.
The AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda by BAE Systems is the F-35's integrated electronic warfare system [47]. It is the aircraft's electronic shield: while the F-35's stealth design deflects enemy radar signals and thus makes detection difficult, the Barracuda system handles the active side of protection — it detects, analyses, and actively jams enemy sensors.
The AN/ASQ-239 operates fully automatically in the background. The pilot does not need to search for threats. The system performs three tasks simultaneously:
Warning: It detects enemy radar signals and automatically displays all threats on the pilot's screens — showing type (e.g. surface-to-air missile, fighter aircraft), direction, and estimated distance.
Assessment: The system automatically distinguishes between harmless search radars and acute threats such as a fire-control radar that is actively guiding a missile toward the aircraft. Warnings are prioritised according to the threat level.
Protection: When a threat is detected, the system can autonomously initiate electronic countermeasures — for example, emitting jamming signals that blind an enemy radar or disrupting the guidance of an incoming missile.
The AN/ASQ-239 consists of several components that function as an integrated system:
10 radio-frequency antennas (RF antennas) are embedded in the leading edges of the wings and tail surfaces. Their distribution across the entire aircraft allows them to detect radar signals from all directions — providing seamless 360-degree coverage. The system operates multi-spectrally: it monitors both the radio-frequency (RF) range and the infrared (IR) range, i.e. heat signatures.
Received signals are analysed in real time. The system determines:
When the system identifies an acute threat, it can respond with targeted electronic countermeasures:
The Barracuda system does not operate in isolation. It is fully networked with the F-35's other sensors:
All this data is merged (fused) to create a combined situational picture that reveals more than any single sensor could detect alone. On the helmet-mounted display and cockpit screens, the pilot sees a single, clear threat picture — the complexity of the data processing remains in the background.
BAE Systems is developing the Digital Channelized Receiver Techniques Generator (DTIP) [48]:
Over 1,200 AN/ASQ-239 systems had been delivered by the end of 2024 [47]. BAE Systems is investing USD 100 million in a new manufacturing facility (7,400 m²) with AI-driven automation and a capacity of 11 systems per month [49].
[47] BAE Systems: AN/ASQ-239 F-35 EW Countermeasure System
[48] Military Embedded Systems: Block 4 work for F-35 EW system gets BAE Systems update. 2023
[49] Microwaves & RF: Enhanced EW Upgrades AN/ASQ-239 System. 2024