electronic warfare

During the Army’s Network Modernization Experiment 2020 that kicked off last week, researchers are attacking fledgling systems with electronic warfare capabilities that near-peer adversaries are not expected to possess for years to come, officials say.

Engility Corp., Andover, Massachusetts, is awarded a $7,956,180 modification (P00010) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable order (N68936-19-F-0379) against a General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Multiple Award Contract (GS00Q14OADU336). Work will be performed in Point Mugu, California (90%); Whidbey Island, Washington (1.67%); Patuxent River, Maryland (1.67%); China Lake, California (1.67%); Baltimore, Maryland (1.67%); St. Louis, Missouri (1.67%); and El Segundo, California (1.65%).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., has been awarded a $19,354,527 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for the repairs, spares and engineering services relating to the electronic systems test set, ALQ-155 power management system, ALQ-161 defensive avionics system (DAS) and Band 6/7/9 of B-1B ALQ-161 DAS. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 9, 2028. This award is the result of a non-competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8524-20-D-0011).

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $9,669,789 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00034) to previously awarded contract N00019-16-C-0032. This modification provides engineering, manufacturing and development support to integrate BRR3.1 software to the Next Generation Jammer on Boeing EA-18G Growler carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, resulting in BRR3.1 software initial operating capability. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by December 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The U.S. Army’s work on advancing its tactical network through its “capability package construct” will pull in significant capacity, added resiliency and interoperability, leaders say. The Army is leveraging more commercial solutions than ever, as well as its own Science and Technology Directorate research and development, to bring a competitive edge.

As part of its latest pursuit of solutions for the Integrated Tactical Network concept, or ITN, the Army is going after high capacity commercial satellite communications, protected waveforms, mid-earth-orbit constellations, and space-based Internet.

Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully flew two autonomously controlled EA-18G Growlers at Naval Air Station Patuxent River as unmanned air systems using a third Growler as a mission controller for the other two, Boeing has announced.

The flights, conducted during the Navy Warfare Development Command’s annual fleet experiment (FLEX) exercises, proved the effectiveness of technology allowing F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers to perform combat missions with unmanned systems.

In an era of complex geopolitics of peer and near-peer adversaries racing to advance electronic warfare (EW), the U.S. Marine Corps, like the other services, is centering on improving its signals intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic warfare operations. The service is examining its training and how it integrates the capabilities into its battalions. 

The Marine Corps’ efforts in so-called SIGINT and EW was the focus of this year’s Signals Intelligence Day held on Capitol Hill and organized by the Association of Old Crows Advocacy’s Signals Intelligence Industry Partnership. 

Less than two months on the job, Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, USAF, commander of the 16th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), is already shaping the structure of the service’s new information warfare Numbered Air Force (NAF). Stood up in October, the NAF combines the service’s cyber operations; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities; electronic warfare and information operations, including capabilities folded in from the 24th and 25th Air Forces.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $57,462,554 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6327 to exercise options for engineering support services for the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Increment One Block One (I1B1) Systems full-rate production in support of the Expeditionary Warfare program office. This option exercise is for Engineering Support Services for Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) to introduce new technologies; address diminishing material and depot repairs to keep JCREW systems viable for future production; and maintain operational readiness for the field.  Work