FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW The U.S. Navy is hoping to fly the next-generation Jammer sometime next year, though the system won't be operational until 2022, Navy Capt. Michael Orr, program manager for the service's electronic attack systems.
Currently, the most important electronic attack systems of the Navy in the air are based on the technology developed in the 1970s: while the service was switched from the old EA-6B Prowler to the new EA-18G Growler as an electronic attack aircraft, it is the actual radar - Interference systems in the aircraft are largely the same. Those in charge of the service are concerned that China and Russia's rapid advances in electromagnetic warfare will put their pilots at a severe disadvantage sooner rather than later.
In 2016, Raytheon won a $ 1 billion award for building the Next Generation signal jammer. The Navy plans to spend $ 1.5 billion on NGJ development between 2019 and 2022.
Orr said the AN / ALQ-99 analog pods currently on the aircraft will continue to be used after the all-digital NGJ pods are installed and that the Navy has a joint development program with the Australian government to upgrade the system develop. He would not go into the Australian participation or which other aircraft the NGJ could be integrated into in the future.