The 2020s: a decade of UAV spending growth
Total annual drone spending has increased nearly sixfold since the start of the decade, from $2.9 billion in 2020 to $16.3 billion in 2028, with Europe leading the rise.
L3 Technologies awarded $587 million contract for next stage of new Growler jammer
The USN has awarded a contract for the engineering and manufacturing development of the NGJ-LB jammer, which will deploy on the EA-18G Growler. (Photo: USAF)
The Next Generation Jammer-Low Band (NGJ-LB) is part of a larger NGJ system that will augment and ultimately replace the legacy ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System on the EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.
L3 Technologies (Communication Systems-West) has been awarded a US$587.4 million contract for the engineering and manufacturing development of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) system.
NGJ-LB is the latest product in the US Navy’s (USN’s) NGJ initiative which is an effort to develop a jammer which will engage radar threats transmitting across a 500MHz to 2GHz waveband and augment and replace the legacy ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System on Growlers.
In service the NGJ-LB will complement the existing Raytheon AN/ALQ-249(V)1 Next Generation Jammer-Mid Band pod which covers a 2GHz to 6GHz waveband and is already in production.
Using the latest software and Active Electronically Scanned Array technologies, NGJ will provide enhanced AEA capabilities to disrupt, deny and degrade enemy air defence and ground communication systems.
The USN originally awarded the contract in 2020 but following multiple protests, the Navy issued an amended request for proposals in 2023 and this contract supports the final design efforts and manufacturing of operational prototype pods and system-level prototypes.
This latest increment will counter a larger capacity of adversary systems in the low-frequency electromagnetic spectrum. NGJ-LB is scheduled to reach early operational capability in 2029.
Growlers are used by the USN and the Royal Australian Air Force with the former leading the effort through the Airborne Electronic Attack Systems Program Office (PMA-234).
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