Lockheed awards BAE $349M to upgrade F-35 EW system

Lockheed Martin has selected BAE Systems to modernize the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's electronic warfare capabilities, announcing this week it has awarded BAE a $349 million contract to deliver the systems as part of the Block 4 continuous development effort.

Under the contract, BAE will upgrade its AN/ASQ-29 Electronic Warfare/Countermeasures system "to address emerging threats and maintain U.S. and allied warfighters' ability to conduct missions in contested airspace," BAE said in a press release today.

The company has been supplying EW capability for the JSF program for 14 years and has delivered more than 500 F-35 EW shipsets in support of the jet's first 11 low-rate initial production lots. Under the Block 4 Continuous Capability Development and Delivery effort, the system will be upgraded with 11 new EW capabilities.