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The US Navy has awarded Raytheon a US$590 million (AU$914.2 million) follow-on production contract for the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band system for E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.
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The Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) is a cooperative development and production program with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). This contract also includes delivery of shipsets, support equipment, spares and non-recurring engineering support.
Barbara Borgonovi, president of naval power at Raytheon said, “NGJ-MB is a revolutionary offensive electronic attack system for the joint force that puts a critical combat capability in the hands of our Navy warfighters.”
Both the US Navy and Royal Australian Air Force will employ NGJ-MB on the EA-18G Growler to target advanced radar threats, communications, data links and non-traditional radio frequency threats.
“We’re working with the US Navy to ensure NGJ-MB provides the advanced electronic warfare solution needed as quickly as possible,” Borgonovi said.
The system reduces adversary targeting ranges, disrupts adversary kill chains and supports kinetic weapons to target. NGJ-MB allows naval crews to operate effectively at extended ranges and attack multiple targets simultaneously with advanced techniques.
Raytheon’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band is an advanced electronic attack system that denies, disrupts and degrades enemy technology, including communication tools and air-defence systems and incorporates a combination of agile, active electronically scanned arrays and an all-digital back end. It gives E/A-18 Growler pilots an edge in the hotly contested electromagnetic spectrum.
NGJ-MB enables:
- Operating at significantly enhanced ranges.
- Attacking multiple targets simultaneously.
- Advanced jamming techniques.
- Rapid upgrades through a modular, open systems architecture.
- Scaling to other missions and platforms.
The EA-18G Growler is the most advanced airborne electronic attack (AEA) platform and is the only one in production today and is based on the combat-proven F/A-18F Super Hornet. The Growler provides tactical jamming and electronic protection to US military forces and allies around the world.
In June 2014, Boeing was awarded a contract for 12 Growlers to be acquired by the Royal Australian Air Force under a foreign military sales agreement with the US Navy.
Australia is the first country to be offered this level of AEA technology by the United States, which will give the RAAF unmatched electronic awareness and attack capabilities.
The NGJ-MB program successfully completed Milestone C in 2021 and is now in the production and deployment phase. Work under this most recent contract with Raytheon will take place in McKinney, Texas; Forest, Mississippi; El Segundo, California; and Fort Wayne, Indiana through 2028.
