BAE Systems lands critical electronic warfare systems contract

BAE Systems has secured a five-year contract to ensure the readiness of critical electronic warfare (EW) systems on the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.

As part of the agreement with Lockheed Martin, officials said BAE Systems would manage the supply chain and establish the infrastructure necessary to make sure the systems are mission capable and available to warfighters.

The F-35’s EW suite protects the aircraft with advanced technology for critical missions, adding the advanced avionics and sensors provide a real-time, 360-degree view of the battlespace, helping to maximize detection ranges and provide the pilot with options to evade, engage, counter or jam threats.

“As a leader in EW systems for the world’s most advanced aircraft, we understand how critical readiness is for our customers,” Betsy Warren, director of F-35 Sustainment at BAE Systems, Inc., said. “We’ll ensure that the F-35 EW supply chain is in place for Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense.”

The agreement also calls for BAE Systems to maintain regional warehouses with on-hand inventories of critical EW components to improve fill rates and reduce wait times while establishing various metrics used to strengthen confidence in the supply chain further.

The F-35 sustainability is based on performance-based logistics (PBL), a cost-effective, outcome-based support strategy that focuses on system readiness, officials noted.