I didn't really know what I was getting into, though I had a vague idea that ECM people used electronic equipment to harass radar systems. ECM folks are called "Ravens". What I soon learned, though, was there is a whole lot more to it.

The first several weeks of academic training was an intense introduction to basic electronics. That was followed by a simi larly rigorous familiarization on radar systems design, operation and characteristics. Only after these topics were mastered did we receive electronic countermeasures training.

Two sides of the ECM domain were taught, electronic reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures. Both involved academics and inflight applications training.

Electronic reconnaissance involves the detection, identification, analysis and classification of various sources of enemy electro- magnetic emissions. In other words, you have to know what electronic signals the enemy is using before you can develop and employ counter measures.

Our flight training exercises were especially fascinating. We flew in four-engine C-54 transports, heavily modified with numerous upper and lower fuselage radomes and antennae. Inside, were several independent crew stations with rack-mounted equipment of many kinds. We had special radio/radar receivers, electromagnetic spectrum analyzers, data recorders, radio direction finders, and pulse analyzers. These equipments were used to detect, analyze and record received signals of various kinds.

Most of our flights were six to eight hours duration, ranging from Florida to Texas, and the Gulf Coast to the mid-west. In that vast area of the southern United States, there were hundreds of radars, communications and broadcast stations emitting signals we could detect and analyze. In addition, we flew some training missions with radar-equipped fighters making simulated attack patterns against our aircraft.

We became quite adept at recognizing various characteristics of radar systems. We could tell from our equipment's audio signals whether the detected radar was intended for long range surveillance or for shorter range precision tracking. We could quickly discern the sweep rates and antenna scan patterns, just from the sound of the radar pulse rates and scan rates. With training and experience the ECM operator can determine what is happening around him and take defensive measures accordingly.

And with the analyzer gear we could see analog representations of the radar pulse widths and amplitudes. We could even tell, at a glance, whether the radar was in fine condition or if it needed repairs. That gave us a clue to the radar's ability to detect and track aircraft targets.

We learned to use the radio direction finders to precisely locate the source of received signals, by taking a succession of bearings and correlating them to our know aircraft position. And we learned the techniques of recording the data gathered in flight for later analysis, using signal recording equipment and manually recorded logs. Our early recorders were wire recorders, later replaced with tape recorders. Equipment has markedly changed over the years, but then so has the sophistication of enemy radars, ground and airborne.

This phase of training prepared us for the follow-on portion where we applied that knowledge to use radio transmitters against selected equipment. We next learned how to tune radar jamming transmitters, to superimpose our signals onto that of radar's attempting to find and track our aircraft. That was made difficult by the ability of some radars to quickly change frequencies. We had to learn when to transmit and when to listen and watch for what our opponents were doing. It's an electronic "cat and mouse" game, but with potentially deadly consequences if the ECM operator is wrong.

We also learned how to employ radar decoys, echo producing bits of metallized plastic strips tossed into the air to fool the enemy. There are definite techniques to learn, concerning when and how to use that material known as chaff. And there are several types of chaff available. Some chaff is cut to length according to the radio frequency of the radars to be cluttered. Other chaff comes in long strips, like a piece of audio recording tape with one end attached to a simple carboard square which acts like a parachute. As the reflective strip slowly falls to earth, dangling below the cardboard square, it twists and turns to present a varying reflective surface. That effects radars of different frequencies and wavelengths.

The course also introduced us to newer ECM equipment, not yet installed in our aging C-54's. We were taught what to expect in our future assignments aboard a variety of strategic and tactical aircraft, to which class members would soon be sent.

I soon headed for the then-new B-52's, reporting to Castle AFB, California to join other crew members. We trained on the early B-52B's and D's, the latter we were later to fly as part of the 92nd Bombardment Wing in Washington state. My background and experience in radar bombing and navigation made the transition to ECM duties fairly easy. I eventually flew for eight years in B-52's and B-58's, primarily as an ECM officer, but I also kept my hand in as a navigator and radar operator. I held both fully qualified 1575 and 1525 ratings (AFSC's).

What I learned in ECM school, and as a crewman in Strategic Air Command (SAC), later saved my life in Viet Nam. For it was there that those skills for recognizing what tracking radars were doing came into play. I was able to recognize that a surface-to-air missile tracking system was about to launch a missile at my RF-4C over North Vietnam. I watched that telephone-pole sized missile pass by our eight o'clock position, just after I told my pilot to make an evasive maneuver. Our automatic jamming systems were not fooling the enemy. Only that manual detection and lots of experience save us from annihilation. It could have ruined our whole day.