The Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system developed by Lockheed Martin recently passed Preliminary Design Review on schedule.
The AOEW will provide MH-60 helicopters with enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities against anti-ship missile (ASM) threats.
The AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 can work independently or with the ship’s onboard electronic surveillance sensor to detect an incoming missile and then determine where it is going. AOEW then uses radio frequency countermeasure methods to deter the missile.
“The battlefield at sea is constantly changing,” Joe Ottaviano, electronic warfare program director, said. “Our Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare capabilities will give the U.S. Navy a powerful tool to detect threats and respond to our adversaries.”
The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $42 million contract to design and develop the system. The company expects to be awarded the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the project later this year.
Construction is scheduled to begin in Syracuse, New York in early 2018. Lockheed Martin will then integrate the system onto the MH-60 helicopters.