The Navy is preparing to conduct a critical design review (CDR) on the latest version of its new electronic warfare system by February, which will set the stage for prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] to begin prototype work on the program.
The CDR will evaluate the Block 2 variant of the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP), according to Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman Monica McCoy.
The review is expected to take place this month, but could slip into early March, she noted in a Jan. 21 e-mail. The Block 2 iteration of the SEWIP program is designed to create EW-based countermeasures to protect the Navy’s surface fleet of cruisers, destroyers and carriers from cruise missile threats.
The Navy has approved the company’s preliminary Block 2 SEWIP late last year, and pending service approval on the CDR, program officials plan to begin development work on two prototype models–known as Engineering Development Models (EDM)–for additional refinement of the system, Joe Ottaviano, program director for Lockheed Martin’s SEWIP design program, told sister publication Defense Daily last August.
Once EDM testing is complete, company officials plan to transition into following successful Low-Rate Initial Production on the Block 2 system, with an anticipated total buy of 149 systems (Defense Daily, Aug. 3, 2008).
While still under development, the Block 2 version of the SEWIP will likely serve as the basis for future iterations of the system, each designed to house a wide slate of potential EW capabilities–ranging from electro-optical/infrared applications to net-centric technologies–to further enhance surface fleet security.
Lockheed Martin officials leveraged lessons learned from its Integrated Common Electronics Warfare System (ICEWS) as part of its development effort on the Block 2 system, according to the company’s website.
Utilizing the same commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies on board ICEWS, program officials can provide the sea service with the necessary flexibility to integrate new applications into the SEWIP effort.