Proposed design for EA-6B ICAP III weapon-system alert display

by Mercier, Andre Laurence.

The EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft is undergoing a major weapon system improvement referred to as Improved Capabilities Three (ICAP III). The ICAP III upgrade presents an opportunity to improve the existing aircraft system for alerting the crew of potential weapon system problems. This thesis provides a recommended design for display of weapon-system alerts in production Lot 1 configured EA-6B ICAP III aircraft. Human factors engineering methods, the ICAP III system performance specification and the author’s experience employing electronic warfare weapon systems were used to define required alerts. These tools along with human factors engineering research and software best practice research were used by the author to recommend consolidation, format, prioritization, location and mode of alert presentation. Conclusions will be presented to the EA-6B ICAP III and E/A-18G design teams for consideration. iv