Lockheed Martin Receives SEWIP Block 2 Contract from Navy
SEAPOWER Magazine Online
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $154 million contract to upgrade the fleet’s electronic warfare defenses against evolving threats, such as anti-ship missiles, the company reported in a July 23 release.
Under this low-rate initial production contract for Block 2 of the Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP), Lockheed Martin will provide additional systems to upgrade the AN/SLQ-32 systems on U.S. aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and other warships with key capabilities to determine if the electronic sensors of potential foes are tracking the ship.
“We’re proud to continue supporting the U.S. Navy with capabilities delivered on schedule to rapidly introduce new technology to the sailors,” said Joe Ottaviano, Electronic Warfare program director for Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training. “Our fleets are facing a rapidly changing threat environment in theaters across the globe. This contract allows us to continue providing much needed technological advances that will help outpace our adversaries and protect our warfighters.”
Block 2 is the latest in an evolutionary succession of improvement “blocks” the Navy is pursuing for its shipboard electronic warfare system, which will incrementally add new defensive technologies and functional capabilities. In 2013 and 2014, Lockheed Martin was awarded 24 systems as part of low-rate initial production, the first 10 of which have been delivered to the Navy on schedule.
Work on the SEWIP program will be performed at the company’s Syracuse facility.
Cost of US Air Force Decoy Systems Reduced
Cost of US Air Force Decoy Systems Reduced | Military.com
TUCSON, AZ -- A carbon-fiber airframe for
U.S. Air Force miniature decoy systems has been developed using robotic and formula racing technologies, Raytheon reports.
Raytheon said the airframe for the Miniature Air Lanch Decoy, or MALD, and MALD-J systems was developed in partnership with Fokker Technologies of the Netherlands and Italy's Dallara and reduces the airframe production cost by 25 percent.
"MALD is a cost-efficient, modular system that can protect manned aircraft from the need to engage threats and make stand-off munitions even more lethal," said Scott Muse, Raytheon's MALD programs director.
"Driving affordability is a key element of customer success. Through the partnership with Fokker, Dallara and the U.S. Air Force, we delivered MALD's capabilities at a lower price."
Raytheon said Fokker Technologies, which develops and produces advanced structures and electrical systems, helped to adapt robots to wind the carbon fiber fuselage of the composite airframe and Dallara applied the lightweight, strong structural technologies used in Indy car racing to airframe accessories.
Previously, the carbon-fiber fuselage of the decoy system followed a conventional, hand-built approach.
The new innovative composite design will be included in this year's Lot 7 production of the systems.
MALD is a modular, air-launched and programmable flight vehicle with a range of 500 nautical miles that protects aircraft by confusing incoming missiles by duplicating the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft.
MALD-J adds radar-jamming capability to the basic MALD platform.