BAE Systems awarded contract for Lot 17 F-35 electronic warfare systems

BAE Systems has received $491 million in contracts from Lockheed Martin to produce 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 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,” said Lisa Aucoin, vice president of F-35 Solutions at BAE Systems. “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.”

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,” said Chris Rossi, director of F-35 production at BAE Systems. “The flexibility of our active production line will allow us to seamlessly transition to the Block 4 design without skipping a beat.”

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 and Nashua, N.H. Meanwhile, flight testing of a new advanced EW system for the F-35 continues under a program known as Project Heisenberg.

EW Upgrade Flight Testing

Last month, the program office for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter said it was ready to award BAE Systems a sole-source contract to conduct phase 3 flight trials of an advanced future electronic warfare and countermeasures suite known as AN/ASQ-239A.

Lot 18 order

In September, the F-35 program office announced they intend to solicit and negotiate multiple contract actions with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas, for the development of additional F-35 Lightning II jets in their lot 18 order.

The proposed contract actions will provide for a total of 115 aircraft in lot 18 (75 F-35As, 25 F-35Bs and 15 F-35Cs).