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Lockheed Martin has secured a US$113 million (AU$171.9 million) contract from Japan to provide Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 AN/SLQ-32(V)6 and AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 systems.
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This Naval Sea Systems Command for full-rate production contract combines purchases for the US Navy and the government of Japan under the foreign military sales (FMS) program and serves as a modification to a previously awarded SEWIP full-rate production contract that allowed for additional production based on need.
Deon Viergutz, vice president of Spectrum Convergence, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, said: “With this first purchase in Japan, we are setting the stage to continue to expand this key technology around the globe for an improved network of electronic surveillance, enabling US, allied and partner forces to continue to evolve and outpace modern threats.”
The purchase for Japan marks the first international sale of the premier shipboard electronic warfare system in the world, enhancing Japan’s role as a critical ally in the western Pacific.
The Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 provides a number of capability enhancements over the Block 1 capability, including:
- SEWIP Block 2 provides the Navy surface fleet with improved anti-ship missile defence and situational awareness.
- The system is deployed on dozens of Arleigh Burke Class-guided missile destroyers and will eventually be deployed on nearly all US Navy surface combatants, including both classes of littoral combat ships (LCS).
- US Coast Guard will benefit from SEWIP Block 2 capability on its fleet of Offshore Patrol Cutters.
- The SEWIP Block 2 system provides early detection, analysis, and threat warning against anti-ship missiles for surface ships. The situational awareness it provides can help sailors protect their ships from these missiles based on their invisible radio frequency signatures.
- The Lockheed Martin SEWIP Block 2 system transitioned from a development program to full-rate production in September 2016. The system provides a significant advancement in capability to protect sailors and the fleet with expanded frequency coverage, increased sensitivity, advanced electromagnetic interference protection, lower life cycle costs and a scalable open architecture.
“The SEWIP program has proven critical for the US Navy in the early detection of threats,” Viergutz said.
Having SEWIP provides the same state-of-the-art system for detecting and identifying threats that the US Navy uses, enhancing shipboard capabilities, and increasing interoperability with the US Navy.
