The Australian Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Pat Conroy MP, has announced Government approval for the Land Force Level Electronic Warfare Project valued at nearly $75 million. The Project Land 555 Phase 6 will modify existing Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles and install Electronic Warfare systems into these vehicles. The Government has awarded delivery of the Force Level Electronic Warfare System project to Raytheon Australia Pty Ltd. The Project will complement air and maritime force level electronic warfare systems, further enhancing these capabilities when deployed in combination as a Joint Force.
Minister Conroy said,”The systems would improve the Australian Defence Force’s ability to monitor and control the electronic environment and, where necessary, deny or degrade the electronic systems of adversaries. The Government is committed to increasing the ADF’s ability to operate and fight in complex electromagnetic environments. This new capability will give our Land Force a better range of options to continue to pursue our interests in our region and deter, defeat and deny attacks and threats against Australia. Australian industry would be involved in supply, training and maintenance support.”
The Australian Defence Science and Technology (DST), part of the national Department of Defence (DoD), has signed an agreement to develop and prototype advanced electronic warfare capabilities. Under the agreement, Raytheon will be responsible for providing the DST with its multi-function receiver exciter system test bench, a control system, and a modelling and simulation environment. DST will use the multi-function integrated receiver/exciter system (MFIRES) to evolve and test the advanced electronic warfare technologies. MFIRES is a part of Raytheon’s product family that includes the company’s next-generation jammer mid-band.
Featuring electronic attack capability, the MFIRES is a radar warning receiver that provides electronic support and protection, and integrates various functions that enable system success across the full electronic warfare mission by using less power, weight and space. Raytheon’s electronic warfare capability uses focused energy, such as radio waves or laser light, in order to either confuse or disable the electronics of the enemy. By combining US and Australian strengths, the company enhance theirs ability to deliver decisive EW capabilities in the Pacific and beyond. In 2020 Raytheon Australia recorded a turnover of $2.5 billion.