Raytheon Co., in partnership with the U.S. Navy, has completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program, a key milestone in the acquisition process.

"Raytheon and the Navy have made system engineering process discipline a top priority from the outset of the NGJ program," said Travis Slocumb , vice president of Electronic Warfare Systems at Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems. "The successful completion of PDR is indicative of the strength of our partnership, and we will apply that same focus as we move into the follow-on phases of the program."

The NGJ is scheduled to replace legacy ALQ-99 jamming pods, delivering new capabilities for the Navy's EA-18G Growler. The Navy plans to declare Initial Operating Capability for the Jammer in 2021.

"The Jammer's open architecture design, coupled with high-powered, solid state electronics and agile jamming techniques, will enable us to meet U.S. Navy electronic warfare mission requirements while ensuring the affordability of future upgrades," said Daniel Theisen , Director of Airborne Electronic Attack programs for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems.