A US Navy (USN) contract sets the stage for the Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft to receive an improved jamming capability.
On 10 September, the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said that in late August it had awarded a $587 million contract to L3 Technologies for the engineering and manufacturing development of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) system.
“NGJ-LB will meet current and emerging electronic warfare threats and increase the lethality of 4th- and 5th-generation platforms and strike weapons,” says USN Rear Adm John Lemmon, program executive officer for tactical aircraft programs.
“The navy will partner with L3Harris to get this key capability into the hands of the warfighter.”
The system, designed to counter threats in the low-frequency electromagnetic spectrum, is expected to reach early operational capability in 2029.
The new contract will support final design efforts and the manufacture of operational prototype pods and system-level prototypes for the USN and Royal Australian Air Force. Australia, the only other nation to operate the EA-18G, is a partner on the New Generation Jammer programme.
The USN had awarded the contract to L3 in 2020, but protests from Northrop Grumman, L3’s rival in the competition, as well as litigation, ultimately saw a new request for proposals issued in 2023.
The development of the NGJ-LB follows the deployment of Raytheon’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB), designated AN/ALQ-249, which focuses on the middle ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. The first production NGJ-MB pods were delivered to the USN in 2023.
Threats that the NGJ-MB could address include enemy radars and missile guidance systems. The NGJ-LB could disrupt enemy communications, as well as interfere with enemy electronic intelligence efforts.
The USN’s long-running Next Generation Jammer programme, desiged to replace the ageing ALQ-99 system, will also develop a new jammer for threats in the high-frequency band.
