[Avionics Today January 27, 2014] The U.S. Navy has retained Raytheon as the prime contractor for developing the $279.4 million Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) technology, a replacement of Northrop Grumman’s aging ALQ-99 tactical jamming system on the Boeing EA-18G Growler.
Boeing EA-18G. Photo, courtesy of Boeing.
Over the last decade, the Department of Defense (DOD) has been assessing gaps in its airborne electronic attack capabilities. Jamming pods from the NGJ will prevent fighter jets and naval carriers from being detected by enemy radar and missile targeting.
In November, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) upheld a protest by BAE Systems of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) selection of Raytheon for the 22-month technology development contract for the jamming system in July. The challenge claimed that the Navy had not properly evaluated BAE’s offering. Raytheon also won over bids from an ITT Exelis-Northrop Grumman team for the contract.
“The Navy has completed corrective action as recommended by the GAO in the sustained protest filed by BAE on the Next Generation Jammer Technology Development (TD) contract,” Thurraya Kent, a spokeswoman commander for the Navy said in an e-mailed statement. “A new cost/technical tradeoff analysis was performed, and each of the original three offerors has been notified of the resulting decision. The award to the Raytheon Company in El Segundo, Calif., has been maintained.”
The goal of the NGJ program is to begin operating the new jammer by 2020, according to a GAO report on the program issued in August.
Rick Yuse, president of space and airborne systems at Raytheon, said he commended the GAO’s “thorough assessment of the contract award.
“Our offer represents the best of Raytheon’s innovative capabilities and leadership in advanced next generation AESA-based electronic attack systems,” said Yuse.