The U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon an $80 million contract to create an advanced electronic warfare prototype, or ADVEW, for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.
This prototype will be considered a replacement for current AN/ALQ-214 integrated defensive electronic countermeasure equipment and the AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver with a consolidated solution that will provide superior electronic warfare capabilities to the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s carrier air wing.
«These advancements are paving the way for the next generation of electronic warfare,» said Bryan Rosselli, president of Advanced Products & Solutions at Raytheon. «We are completely replacing and consolidating the legacy systems into a one-box solution that will deliver a generational refresh to the electronic warfare capability for the lifetime of the Super Hornet.».
Raytheon’s advanced electronic warfare offering will provide significant performance improvements by modernizing existing electronic warfare systems into fewer components and incorporating a government-defined open architecture. The development of this new solution will closely align and integrate with other combat-proven RF sensors and effectors employed by the Super Hornet.
The company claims that its ADVEW will ensure that the F/A-18E/F will maintain its operational advantage in electronic warfare, while significantly improving its survivability against advanced and complex threats.
ADVEW development and testing will take place primarily in Goleta, California. During the prototype phase, the system will undergo preliminary design review, critical design review and flight testing over a 36-month period.
