Electronic attack system completes testing on EA-18G Growler
NewsAugust 24, 2020
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. Built by Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band flew on an EA-18G Growler – its first flight test on the aircraft. The U.S. Navy's NGJ-MB is an advanced electronic attack system that is designed to deny, disrupt, and degrade enemy technology, including communication tools and air-defense systems.
The first flight took place August 7, 2020, at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., meeting all objectives according to officials. Future mission systems flight testing will demonstrate weapons system control, power generation, and electromagnetic compatibility between jammer and aircraft, as well as the performance of NGJ-MB's high-capacity digital waveform generation and active electronically scanned arrays in flight against a variety of targets. Data from these flight tests on the Growler will inform Milestone C – the Navy's decision to start NGJ-MB production.
The flight follows more than 600 hours of ground testing of Engineering Development Model, or EDM, pods. At the Naval Air Stations Patuxent River and at Point Mugu, Calif., EDM pods underwent anechoic chamber testing – a special facility designed to absorb electromagnetic waves – to measure the jammer's radio frequency power and beam-steering capabilities.
In addition to mission systems testing, the program is expected to begin aeromechanical flight testing shortly to assess aircraft flying qualities and performance, following previously completed ground vibration, static load, and wind tunnel testing. These tests will also evaluate the effects of the air flow environment on the pod, as well as noise and vibration behavior.
