The Navy last month awarded four Technology Maturation trade studies contracts, totaling $23.19 million, relating to the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ), the future replacement for the ALQ-99.
Contracts were awarded Jan. 16 to Northrop Grumman [NOC] Integrated Systems; ITT [ITT] Electronic Warfare Systems,; BAE Systems; and Raytheon [RTN].
The contracts run for a period of six months each. The Navy is then expected to downselect to the technology or technologies that officials feel meets the NGJ requirement, according to the Navy.
“This is a significant milestone for the NGJ program, concluding a deliberate and meticulous source selection process that adhered to stringent Federal Acquisition Regulations and NAVAIR source selection processes and documentation requirements,” said Capt. Steve Kochman, Airborne Electronic Attack and EA-6B Prowler Program Office (PMA-234) program manager.
The Next Generation Jammer will replace the ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System currently employed by the EA-18G. The system will provide increased capability and flexibility against today’s advancing electronic threats. Products resulting from the study contracts will help define the path for the next evolution in Airborne Electronic Attack, the Navy said.
“This announcement represents a significant investment in the future of Electronic Warfare and is in response to the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s direction to accelerate and fund NGJ Technology Maturation,” Kochman added. “The superb efforts leading to this announcement have helped the NGJ program begin to develop an architecture never before seen by the fleet.”
The NGJ program recently completed the first step in the NGJ acquisition life cycle-the Material Development Decision.
“This key milestone, led by John Young, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, has enabled early technology development work for our program,” said Kochman. “The NGJ capability will increase the potency of the Department of Defense’s AEA System of System in combating the multitude of electronic threats we face today and in the future.”
In December, Pentagon acquisition chief John Young approved the Navy’s plan to conduct a 15-month NGJ Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) to evaluate industry options, according to the Navy. The NGJ AoA is the next step the Department of Defense is taking to meet the requirements outlined in the Joint Chief of Staff’s Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) for AEA, the Navy said.
The AoA will wrap up in March 2010, according to the Navy.
Initial operational capability for NGJ is 2018, the Navy added.