Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
(Editor's Note: This has been updated to reflect an L3 Harris statement released on Sept. 12.)
The Navy recently awarded L3Harris Technologies a contract worth over $587 million for the engineering and manufacturing development of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band system, part of the plan to replace the current ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System used on the EA-18G Growler aircraft.
“NGJ-LB will meet current and emerging electronic warfare threats and increase the lethality of 4th and 5th generation platforms and strike weapons,” Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs Rear Adm. John Lemmon said in a Navy news release. “The Navy will partner with L3Harris to get this key capability into the hands of the warfighter.”
NGJ-LB is scheduled to reach early operational capability in 2029 according to the Navy. The system is the service’s plan to recapitalize its airborne electronic-attack capabilities. L3Harris plans on delivering eight operational prototype pods to the Navy for "fleet assessment and additional test assets for airworthiness and design verification over the next five years," according to a Sept. 12 company statement.
The system’s contract was originally awarded to L3Harris for over $544 million in 2020 yet faced opposition at the time. Northrop Grumman alleged to the Government Accountability Office that L3Harris had conflicts of interest, but GAO dismissed these charges.
This was followed by another Northrop Grumman filing to GAO, which was sent to the Court of Federal Claims, prohibiting the Navy from moving the EMD award forward. In 2022, all three parties agreed in a Justice Department settlement to re-open the competition, with a goal to determine a source by early 2023.
“The contract award is a major step for our fleet as well as the" Royal Australian Air Force, Airborne Electronic Attack Systems Program Office Manager Capt. David Rueter said in the news release. “Our partnership with Australia to develop the newest AEA jamming capability exhibits our joint commitment to ensure continued superiority over the electromagnetic spectrum.”