The US Navy has selected BAE Systems to develop a Dual Band Decoy (DBD), an advanced countermeasures pod to help protect the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
The company says that the DBD, which will be towed behind a fighter, provides comprehensive radio frequency protection that protects aircraft from enemy missile attacks.
The system comprises a towed unit that is connected to the fighter with a fibre-optic cable and linked to the aircraft’s electronic warfare system.
The system is designed to lure enemy missiles away in contested airspace.
“With Dual Band Decoy, we are building on the ALE-55’s years of mission success as a high-powered jamming system,” says Don Davidson, director of the company’s Advanced Compact Electronic Warfare Solutions product line.
“Dual Band Decoy delivers broad capability that can be installed on a variety of aircraft and is upgradeable to address future threats.”
The first application for the new system will be the Super Hornet.
The project builds on the company’s ALE-55 fibre-optic towed decoy, which is in service with the navy with the Super Hornet.
BAE did not provide a value for the DBD deal, or state when the system will be delivered.
