Lockheed Martin, Cobham team to compete for the Next Generation Jammer Low Band bid
NewsApril 16, 2018
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Officials at Lockheed Martin and Cobham announced they are partnering to compete for the U.S. Navy's Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) competition that will replace the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system currently utilized on the E/A-18 Growler aircraft.
The NGJ-LB system will be integrated on the EA-18G aircraft and will replace the ALQ-99 low band pods. The ALQ-99 is a tactical jamming system that has been deployed on the EA-6B Prowler and now the EA-18G Growler. The NGJ-LB system will provide significantly greater electronic attack capabilities in the lower frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum against modern threats.
“The Lockheed Martin and Cobham team will leverage expertise in both companies to offer the U.S. Navy a critically important system with increased capability and reduced risk,” says Joe Ottaviano, director of electronic warfare at Lockheed Martin. “Our team is confident we can meet the Navy’s need for improved jamming capabilities with a scalable, open architecture design that balances capabilities with size, weight and power constraints.”
Both partners on the team bring critical capabilities and areas of expertise. Cobham developed and was the only production partner to the U.S. Navy for the ALQ-99 Low Band Transmitter/Antenna Group (LBT/AG) and has been supporting the LBT/AG program for more than 20 years.
Lockheed Martin has been developing electronic warfare solutions for more than 40 years and has experience with various airborne and naval electronic warfare programs, including the Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system and the multi-mission AN/ALQ-210 and AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) systems for the U.S. Navy. These Lockheed Martin products provide situational awareness, threat warning, and electronic warfare solutions to detect, track and deter incoming threats.
Cobham is the only company to continuously provide ALQ-99 Airborne Electronic Attack transmitters to the U.S. Navy since the initial operational deployment of the EA-6B in 1972, delivering over 850 transmitters. Since that time, Cobham has invested in Gallium Nitride (GaN) power amplifier and antenna technology to ensure that the Navy’s high performance, reliability, and sustainability needs are met. Cobham’s latest ALQ-99 Low Band Transmitter has provided critical protection for U.S. and coalition warfighters since 2005.
