The US Naval Surface Warfare Center has awarded an interim redesign contract to Exelis to perform essential sustainment work on the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system.
Valued at $15.3m, the agreement involves the redesign of components of the universal exciter upgrade shop-replaceable assembly, and will be completed June 2017.
Exelis integrated electronic warfare systems business vice-president and general manager Mitch Friedman said: "The ALQ-99 is expected to continue supporting the navy’s electronic attack mission for several years, until a next-generation solution is fielded.
"This critical interim support will equip the system to handle the evolving threat landscape and allow US and allied forces to continue dominating the electromagnetic spectrum."
Exelis will replace application-specific electronic components with modern, field-programmable technology, enhancing the system’s reliability and ability to adapt to changing mission requirements.
In addition, the company will perform extensive qualification testing to ensure that the aircraft can operate successfully in challenging environments.
Installed on the navy’s EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, the ALQ-99 is part of a suite of electronic warfare technologies designed to enable domestic and international customers to perform critical missions.
It will also be provided to the Australian Government through a foreign military sales programme.
Image: The AN/ALQ-99 system on EA-6B Prowler aircraft. Photo: courtesy of Lt Chuck Radosta / US Navy.
