The US Navy has awarded L3Harris Technologies an $876.4 million contract modification to advance the development of the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) system for EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft operated by the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.
The latest modification covers a range of programme activities, including non-recurring tooling and equipment, system demonstration test article pods, cybersecurity and system security development, and associated support services.
Work will be carried out across facilities in Utah, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, California, New York, Texas, and Australia, with completion anticipated by fiscal year 2031.
At the time of award, the US Navy allocated $3.65 million from research, development, test, and evaluation funds, while an additional $23 million in Australian cooperative funding was committed to the programme.
Advancing the Next Generation Jammer Low Band
The NGJ-LB is an advanced electronic attack system designed to replace the EA-18G Growler’s ageing AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System.
Operating in the low-frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the system is intended to disrupt adversary radar and other electronic systems, enhancing the Growler’s electronic warfare capabilities in contested environments.
The latest award builds on previous development contracts issued to L3Harris. In August 2024, the company received a $587.4 million contract for NGJ-LB engineering and manufacturing development, covering electronic warfare test articles and fleet prototypes.
Earlier, in December 2020, the US Navy awarded L3Harris a $496 million contract for final design activities and the production of eight operational prototype pods and four test pods. These systems were intended to support airworthiness assessments, functional evaluations, and integration testing aboard the EA-18G Growler.
The continued investment reflects the US Navy’s efforts to modernise its airborne electronic warfare capabilities and strengthen the Growler fleet’s ability to counter increasingly sophisticated radar and electronic threats.
