BAE Systems has received $491 million in contracts from Lockheed Martin to produce state-of-the-art Block 4 electronic warfare (EW) systems for future Lot 17 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. BAE Systems has received $491 million in contracts from Lockheed Martin to produce state-of-the-art Block 4 electronic warfare (EW) systems for future Lot 17 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, adding to the 1,200 F-35 EW systems it has delivered to date. The powerful Block 4 systems will accelerate the delivery of advanced EW capabilities to warfighters by combining adaptable hardware and incremental software updates. The Block 4 EW systems will include significantly upgraded hardware and software that improves sensing and signal-processing capabilities. New, high-performance sensors will boost the system’s ability to detect difficult-to-observe threats and more threats simultaneously.
“Our modern facilities allow us to manufacture complex, intricate electronics at scale to deliver an affordable EW capability. The flexibility of our active production line will allow us to seamlessly transition to the Block 4 design without skipping a beat,” said Chris Rossi, director of F-35 production at BAE Systems.
“The Block 4 EW system will offer greater situational awareness, enhanced survivability and increased capabilities to counter modern threats, and is upgradable to address evolving threats. Our adaptable EW system will help warfighters execute missions today and into the future, and will reduce engineering and sustainment costs for the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies,” said Lisa Aucoin, vice president of F-35 Solutions at BAE Systems.
The AN/ASQ-239 provides F-35s with fully integrated offensive and defense EW capabilities, including long-range threat warning, self-protection, and targeting support. It provides 360-degree, full-spectrum situational awareness and rapid-response capabilities—allowing the F-35 to evade, engage, counter, and jam threats, and reach well-defended targets. The AN/ASQ-239 system is designed and manufactured at BAE Systems’ facilities in Manchester, New Hampshire and Nashua, New Hampshire.
BAE Systems is a leader in electronic warfare, and its strength is its people—a team of knowledgeable, intelligent, and resourceful engineers, project managers, and skilled workers committed to protecting those who protect us. As the company advances next-generation EW technology, it applies its engineering and production expertise as a force multiplier, maximizing its customers’ investments in EW. BAE Systems’ next-generation Storm EW™ spectrum warfare suite is built on a common core architecture that can be customized for multiple airborne platforms, and can be upgraded in the field with software updates. BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. Its largest operations are in the United Kingdom and United States, where its BAE Systems Inc. subsidiary is one of the six largest suppliers to the US Department of Defense. Other major markets include Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Oman and Sweden, where Saudi Arabia is regularly among its top three sources of revenue.
