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F-15 belly lumps hold electronic countermeasures

Published 10:30 am Tuesday, October 25, 2016

By Cory Graff

F-15 belly lumps hold electronic countermeasures
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F-15 belly lumps hold electronic countermeasures
These lumps on the underside of the F-105G “Wild Weasel” hold electronic countermeasures, used to jam and warp surface-to-air missile signals. (Flying Heritage Collection)

The Flying Heritage Collection’s “Wild Weasel” F-105G has distinctive lumps on its belly that set it apart from the standard bomber versions of the Thunderchief.

Used to hunt and destroy Surface to Air Missile (SAM) sites, “Wild Weasel” F-105s were equipped with a pair of AN/ALQ-105 Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) units that jammed and warped SAM radar signals with a series of high-powered radio bursts.

Westinghouse and Republic worked to slice an AN/ALQ-101 pod in half, putting the parts on each side of the F-105, just above the bomb bay. The new ECM unit was designated an AN/ALQ-105.

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