The U.S. Navy’s new AN/ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) for the EA-18G Growler is now ready for fabrication and tests after completing CDR, the Naval Air Systems Command announced on May 18.
The new Increment (Inc) 1 Mid-band jammer passed the critical design review (CDR) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, in late April.
This means that Raytheon, the jammer manufacturer, together with aircraft builder Boeing, can proceed to the design and manufacturing phase of the program.
The NGJ is scheduled to replace legacy ALQ-99 jamming pods, improving the electronic warfare capabilities of the Navy’s EA-18G Growler. The Navy plans to declare initial operating capability for the Jammer in 2021.
“During CDR, it was determined that the design and development are on track to meet crucial warfighter requirements, and fabrication, demonstration and testing could proceed,” NAVAIR said in its statement.
The system will address the emerging, advanced threats and increased threat density using the latest Active Electronically Scanned Array, also known as AESA, digital and software-based technologies.