The US Navy has contracted Raytheon to develop an upgraded Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) system.
The NGJ-MB Expansion (NGJ-MBX) will provide a greater frequency range to counter additional threats.
The $192-million development contract involves upgrades in both software and hardware components and is an engineering change to the existing pod.
Work is expected to take place through 2027.
“Offensive electronic attack provides a tremendous combat capability supporting strike packages and kinetic weapons across a broad range of missions,” Raytheon President of Naval Power Barbara Borgonovi said.
“With this upgrade, we’ll ensure our naval aviators in all theaters are better prepared to counter new adversary threats and provide greater combat power throughout their missions.”
Capability Gap
The Next Generation Jammer is a replacement for the 50-year-old analog ALQ-99 jammer, which is mounted on the EA-18G Growler, a dedicated electronic warfare aircraft operational with both the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.
The jammer program initially comprised three separate jamming pods covering low, medium, and high ends of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The Next Generation Jammer Low Band system is being developed by L3Harris, while the Next Generation Jammer High Band system hasn’t been funded yet.
To partially address the capability gap, the extension of the mid-band jammer was launched in April, with the US Navy seeking $32.5 million in research and development funds for an upgraded system “that will extend the upper frequency coverage limit to counter modern and adaptive threats,” according to Defense Scoop.
The upgrade will help counter advanced radars and electronic sensing systems better and increase the survivability of the platforms the system is mounted on.
Three-Band Jamming
Compared to the legacy ALQ-99, the three digitized jammer pods will have greater range and the ability to simultaneously engage a greater number of targets.
Moreover, the pods will be capable of generating their own power, allowing them to switch between frequencies more frequently and keep up with targets.
“When it’s jamming between two different radars and switching beams, it can do it faster than the radars’ look through cycle,” C4ISRNET quoted Raytheon’s Ernest Winston as saying.
“The previous jammer when jamming between frequencies would take forever to go — forever in a digital sense — from the first frequency to the next. NGJ can do it almost instantaneously.”