Lockheed Martin and Cobham announced the two companies are teaming to pursue the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) electronic warfare (EW) system, one of three elements of the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) the U.S. Navy plans to replace the ALQ-99 tactical jamming system flying on the EA-18 Growler (EA-18G) aircraft. The EA-18G, manufactured by Boeing, is a carrier-based EW aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet; it replaced the EA-6B Prowlers.

The Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) comprises three individual programs, NGJ Mid-Band, NGJ Low Band and NGJ High Band, each covering a different portion of the spectrum. The NGJ-LB system will provide electronic attack (EA) capabilities against modern threats operating in the lower frequency bands.

Development of the NGJ began with the mid-band system, judged to be higher priority than the other bands. Raytheon won the contract to build the mid-band system.

Cobham said it is the only company to continuously supply ALQ-99 airborne EA transmitters to the Navy since the initial operational deployment of the EA-6B in 1972, delivering over 850 transmitters. Cobham’s latest ALQ-99 low band transmitter has been shipping since 2005.

Lockheed Martin has developed EW solutions for more than 40 years and brings experience with various airborne and naval EW programs, including the Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system and the multi-mission AN/ALQ-210 and AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) systems for the U.S. Navy. These systems provide situational awareness, threat warning and EW solutions to detect, track and deter incoming threats.

In a release announcing the teaming agreement, Cobham said it has invested in GaN power amplifier and advanced antenna technology to support the Navy’s performance, reliability and sustainability goals.

Joe Ottaviano, director of EW at Lockheed Martin, said, "The Lockheed Martin and Cobham team will leverage expertise in both companies to offer the U.S. Navy a critically important system with increased capability and reduced risk. Our team is confident we can meet the Navy’s need for improved jamming capabilities with a scalable, open architecture design that balances capabilities with size, weight and power constraints."

Jim Barber, senior vice president of Cobham Integrated Electronic Solutions, said "Cobham has continued to invest in state-of-the-art, next-generation airborne electronic attack transmitter capabilities for the EA-18G community and looks forward to continuing to deliver reliable and scalable solutions well into the future. Our strong partnership with Lockheed Martin on programs such as AOEW and the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2, along with our collective capabilities and heritage with the electronic warfare community will provide the best value for the U.S. Navy.”