Northrop’s SEWIP Block 3 system to undergo formal land-based testing

SEWIP Block 3 adds an electronic attack (EA) capability to defend naval vessels against anti-ship missiles.

Navy1 — The AN/SLQ-32(V)7 SEWIP Block 3 system shipped to the U.S. Navy for formal land-based testing at the NAVSEA Surface Combat Systems Center in Wallops Island, Virginia. Credit: Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered the first AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 Engineering and Development Model (EDM) to the US Navy.

The SEWIP Block 3 EMD system will undergo formal land-based testing at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Surface Combat Systems Center in Wallops Island, Virginia.

The third in a series of incremental upgrades, SEWIP Block 3 is being developed by Northrop Grumman and the US Navy Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS).

This upgrade delivers an electronic attack (EA) capability to the AN/SLQ-32 EW system installed on surface combatants to defeat legacy and emerging anti-ship missiles.

US Navy Above Water Sensors and Lasers major programme manager captain Jason Hall said: “The AN/SLQ-32(V)7 EDM delivery to the US Navy for continued government land-based testing following formal qualification testing is a significant achievement for the SEWIP Block 3 programme.

“SEWIP Block 3 provides a critical electronic warfare capability to the fleet to pace the evolving anti-ship missile threat.”

The SEWIP Block 3 system is designed to defeat emergent threats and support the US Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) CONOPS.

In October last year, Northrop received a follow-on production contract from the US Navy for the AN/SLQ-32(V)7 SEWIP Block 3 systems, advancing maritime EW capability.

The company has now successfully completed SEWIP Block 3 system integration and formal qualification testing as part of the EMD contract. Northrop’s systems integration facility is located in Baltimore, Maryland.

Northrop Grumman land and maritime sensors vice-president Northrop Grumman said: “This delivery represents the next step in a multi-year effort to take SEWIP from the laboratory to the hands of the warfighter.

“Providing the comprehensive hardware-defined, software-enabled system to the navy proves out the final design and signifies the end of the engineering, manufacturing and development phase.”