Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Mission Systems Sector, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, is awarded a $254,415,555 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-5519 to exercise an option for production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 Hemisphere systems. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (U.S. Navy) funds in the amount of $152,649,333 (60%); and fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion funds in the amount of $101,766,222 (40%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting authority.
The Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 is an upgrade to the legacy AN/SLQ-32 system, and provides game-changing capability for non-kinetic electronic attack options to the U.S. fleet. The advantage of this electronic attack system is that it provides an unlimited, non-kinetic, soft-kill magazine to defeat inbound threats. The AN/SLQ-32(V)7 SEWIP Block 3 system protects surface ships from anti-ship missiles, providing early detection, signal analysis and threat warning. The program is managed by the U.S. Navy Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS).
Arming the Fleet with new electronic warfare (EW) systems and integrated ship defense remains a top priority for the Navy as threats continue to mature and evolve. Northrop Grumman is pushing the technological boundaries to bring a new set of advanced capabilities to the warfighter quickly and efficiently to meet urgent operational needs. SEWIP Block 3, being developed by Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS), is the third in a series of incremental upgrades that adds an electronic attack (EA) capability to the AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare (EW) system to defend ships against anti-ship missiles.
Northrop Grumman’s SEWIP Block 3 system is inherently multifunction, creating an expanded mission set to defeat emergent threats and support the US Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) CONOPS. SEWIP Block 3 has an open, software defined architecture which can today enable communication enhancements and Information Operations, as well as support future upgrades such as Cognitive EW and AI/Machine Learning. In 2018, Northrop Grumman opened a multi-million dollar, specifically designed for integration and testing of the SEWIP system’s hardware and software. Northrop Grumman has continued to invest in advanced capabilities in electromagnetic maneuver warfare (EMW) and has introduced a number of innovative approaches to harness the full potential of the SEWIP system.
