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.’
More from Land Warfare
-
Patria TRACKX - The ultimate tracked all-terrain armoured vehicle
Patria TRACKX, the ultimate tracked all-terrain armoured vehicle, is designed to conquer the most challenging environments with ease.
-
NATO’s Crystal Arrow factors in Ukrainian UGV lessons as European interest grows
One goal of NATO’s Exercise Crystal Arrow was to identify the potential uses of uncrewed ground vehicles – as seen on the Ukrainian battlefield – and put platforms into the hands of users.
-
Why cost-effective flexible networks are the key to C-UAS success
The widespread use of drones and loitering munitions in current conflicts has tilted the balance in favour of the attacking force, both operationally and economically. EOS’s Dr Andreas Schwer tackles the question of what kind of C-UAS defences are needed to protect battlefield forces, and even entire countries.
-
The C-UAS challenge: Finding the threat before it finds you
How Teledyne FLIR Defense C-UAS solutions – and sensors optimized for third-party systems integrators – deliver early drone detection and decision advantage for UAS threat response