US Marine Corps awards dismounted IED jammer contracts

Northrop Grumman and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will supply dismounted improvised explosive device (IED) jammers to the US Marine Corps under contracts from the Marine Corps Systems Command. The companies will each supply five electronic jamming systems for testing.

The systems will be delivered under the Counter Radio-controlled IED Electronic Warfare Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operation Capable, or CREW MEU (SOC), programme. The companies will deliver and support the electronic warfare solutions, with the potential to supply up to 360 production systems under an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ), multiple award contract if selected for the programme.

Northrop Grumman will supply its Freedom 240 for CREW MEU (SOC). The system provides precision electronic jamming of a wide range of IEDs and is designed to create a protective barrier around a marine ground combat team and their equipment while minimising disruption to friendly communications systems.

Mike Twyman, sector vice president and general manager, Defense Systems division, Northrop Grumman Information Systems, said: ‘Our troops face the IED threat around the world, and these Marine Expeditionary Units are the ones that go to the most dangerous places at a moment's notice. Northrop Grumman's Freedom 240 dismounted system is lightweight, powerful and designed to keep up with these hard-fighting marines.’

SNC has not released details of the system it will supply under the initial contract. The company's range of software definable EW systems support man portable backpack applications; that provide threat signal identification, and monitoring capabilities supporting intelligence and threat neutralisation mission objectives.

Paul Plemmons, corporate vice president of Electronic Warfare and Range Instrumentation (EWR), SNC, said: ‘The CREW MEU SOC system will provide increased flexibility and CREW capabilities to our forces to counter the threat posed by IEDs during future world-wide deployments and operations. We are confident that EWR’s CREW capability will be the most effective, yet best value solution for our nation’s troops.’