Question PAF have to ask, is it worth to invest into standoff jamming? What I can see in images, HAVA-SOJ is carrying a single jammer pod below rudder. What they trying to achieve by standoff jamming? Furthur, standoff jamming or escort jamming is quite hard to work against new-gen GaN based AESA radars which are equipped with dedicated SLC/SLB capable to work in heavy EW environments.
Isnt it far better option would be to go for HBJ,MBJ and LBJ on J-10?
Furthur, from images I can see HAVA-SOJ is eqipped SAR pod, and most likely coming with GMTI, most likely for managing ground battles.
Why combining two different mission payloads into a single aircraft? What I can deduce is, primary mission of HAVA SOJ is not at all jamming, or managing OCA sweeps.
Rather managing ground battles, in contested airspace, jamming is secondary mission.
This is wrong,
HavaSoj is PURELY a standoff jammer.
"What they trying to achieve by standoff jamming"
Well, the key aspect of it is in the name, standoff, i.e, staying well clear of adversary AD and missile capability, providing wide area suppression of adversary electronics.
"Furthur, standoff jamming or escort jamming is quite hard to work against new-gen GaN based AESA radars which are equipped with dedicated SLC/SLB capable to work in heavy EW environments"
This is a pretty poor argument, it comes back down to the classic flawed argument of oh, ATGM's exist, now tanks are useless. Guns exist, now soldiers are useless. Missiles exist, planes are useless. This is a flawed argument, these systems are designed with a reference threat in mind, the reference threat for a system, being designed in this age, is literally exactly that, modern AESA fighter radars, Turkey's primary adversary, Greece, being equipped with SABR's and APG-83s, some of the most advanced radars out there- you think they're just throwing money at development of a system for no reason lol? The idea that modern radars have made Jammer's obsolete is silly- AESA radars, whether GaN or GaA, old or new, are inherently, by design, more resistant to ECM, not invincible to such attacks.
"Isnt it far better option would be to go for HBJ,MBJ and LBJ on J-10?"
How is this a far better option? You have a single pilot, now flying the A/C, defending against adversary attack because he has to be closer to the action, while also actually operating your jamming platform, that too, at lesser ranges, lesser loiter time, while also limited by the physical constraints of the array too(most podded solutions do not offer 360 degree coverage.)
"Furthur, from images I can see HAVA-SOJ is eqipped SAR pod, and most likely coming with GMTI, most likely for managing ground battles."
How have you seen this lol, which image has shown you a "SAR Pod".
You took Raytheon's sentinel and assumed that because HavaSoj is using the same fairings and airframe modifications that it is housing the same sensors. No it is not, HavaSoj is purely a standoff jammer, within those fairings are the arrays and comms antennae, no SAR, etc. Hensholdt also is using the same fairings and airframe design for their Kalaetron SOJ solution for the Global 6000.
"Why combining two different mission payloads into a single aircraft? What I can deduce is, primary mission of HAVA SOJ is not at all jamming, or managing OCA sweeps.
Rather managing ground battles, in contested airspace, jamming is secondary mission."
Your deduction is based on your lack of accurate research.
"Question PAF have to ask, is it worth to invest into standoff jamming?"
Certainly, which is why they are doing it. Not only them, many others are also pursuing more modern standoff jammer platforms.
No fighter jet engine, barring the F-35's can likely produce the kind of output needed to provide serious power to numerous arrays. No single pilot brings the kind of analysis and C&C that a dedicated EWO can bring, which is why the HavaSoj and other jammers have numerous EWO's, because theyre specialists in their role, sniffing out radars, emissions, comms, datalinks, whatever it may be, because as you said, as emitters become harder to locate, you now need personnel who are specifically trained on sniffing out those emitters which are hiding behind the noise floor for example, or whatever it may be.
HavaSoj will provide exactly that, specialists in their roles, the dedicated equipment needed to locate and nullify those emissions, while providing greater crew comfort, on station time, safety from adversary attack, and also alot more power and systems to make the correct decisions.
HavaSoj will provide the fighters its escorting, full spectrum coverage, while also being able to provide high power escort jamming to aircraft operating under its safety, from 3/4 directions (i am not aware of any front facing arrays)- operating just like erieye (flying patterns which ensure consistent coverage)
