Mar 19, 2025 - Technology

U.S. military testing Angry Kitten jammer on A-10 and C-130

Colin Demarest

A man tinkers with an electronic warfare pod slung underneath an aircraft's wing. He is in the sun. The background is shaded. — An engineer tightens a panel on the Angry Kitten pod at Northern Edge in Alaska. Photo: Amber Monio/DVIDS

The U.S. Air Force is testing a smart electronic warfare pod known as Angry Kitten on larger aircraft after success on the F-16.

Why it matters: Mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum — jamming, spoofing, spying — can mean the difference between life or death.

Modern militaries rely on the spectrum for weapons guidance, communications and navigation, among other applications.

The latest: Angry Kitten is being mounted to A-10 and C-130 warplanes, and there's interest among the tanker community, namely KC-46 and -135, according to the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center.

MQ-9 trials are also underway in New York.

What they're saying: "We had minimal hopes for what we could do for larger body aircraft, but it's showing that we actually have good effects," Chris Culver, an electronic warfare engineer involved with testing, said in a statement.

Flashback: Angry Kitten was initially used to simulate enemy electronic attacks during trainings and exercises.

Its achievements there led Air Combat Command to suggest the conversion of four pods.

Fun fact: The Angry Kitten moniker, a far cry from Hellfire or Phantom or Nighthawk, is a bit of an inside joke, according to a 2013 Newsweek report that said the system "reacts with the 'mind of a cat.'"

What we're watching: If and how the U.S. beefs up its electronic warfare skills after years of post-Cold War atrophy.

Top military officials, including former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr., have warned of lost muscle memory.

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U.S. military testing Angry Kitten jammer on A-10 and C-130

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