Navy eyes Next-Generation Jammer program; industry briefings set for January and February
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md., 10 Jan. 2012. U.S. Navy electronic warfare experts are shifting into high gear in a program to develop the Next-Generation Jammer (NGJ), which will replace the AN/ALQ-199 as the Navy's primary airborne electronic warfare system. Navy officials will release a full solicitation for the NGJ program later this year for the program's technology development phase, and are scheduling industry day briefings in January and February to release program details to potential industry bidders.
The Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) is a U.S. Navy program to upgrade radar and communications jamming capability from aircraft to degrade, disrupt, compromise, or deny an enemy’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Officials of U.S. Naval Air Systems Command will conduct the first industry-day briefings to industry will be 24 Jan. 2012 at SAIC Park Place, 45310 Abell House Lane, in California, Md., near Patuxent River Naval Air Station, which is headquarters for Naval Air Systems Command. Briefings will provide providing general background on the NGJ program, the planned acquisition strategy, and key technical performance ranges.
Sign-in for the 24 Jan. industry briefings will begin at 8:30 a.m. Secret clearances are required for the unclassified and classified levels. Submit requests to attend by e-mail to Fred Eliot at [email protected].
These Industry Days are intended solely for prospective NGJ TD prime contractors and major subcontractors. Among the NGJ bidders are expected to be companies such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, ITT Exelis, and others.
The NGJ program seeks to replace today's aging electronic warfare transmitters -- particularly the AN/ALQ-99 electronic warfare suite -- with a new, scalable design that can be used against rapidly changing threats. The new jammer primarily will be used on the EA-18G Growler -- a version of the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet modified to fulfill the airborne electronic warfare role.
The NGJ will be scalable and based on an innovative, modular, open-system architecture to ensure ease of future growth in capabilities and supportability.
Naval Air Systems Command officials will conduct two additional NGJ industry-day briefings, one on 14-16 Feb. 2012 at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at Point Mugu Naval Air Station, Calif., and the other at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., on 22 Feb. 2012.
The two Industry days in February will focus on the EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, and will feature information and access to government experts on the EA-18G electronic warfare jet. Included will be discussions of on board systems, and airborne electronic attack systems, as well as technical information and access to Jammer Technique Optimization (JATO) experts.
More information on the upcoming industry day briefings is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVAIR/N00421/NGJ-TDINDDAY-09JAN2012/listing.html.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
