Northrop Grumman Jamming System to Equip EA-18G EW Jet

By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor

Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has selected Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems to adapt the Increased Capability III (ICAP III) electronic warfare system to the new carrier-based EA-18G electronic combat aircraft now under development by Boeing.

Northrop Grumman — as the prime mission system integrator for the EA-18G — will install the ICAP III system, already in development and low-rate production for the current EA-6B Prowler jamming aircraft, into the new aircraft under a system development and demonstration subcontract. The value of the contract, estimated by a Northrop Grumman spokesman to run into the “several hundred million dollar area,” is not yet finalized.

Unlike the current ICAP II system installed in the EA-6B, which jams broad ranges of frequencies with the resultant diffusion of energy, ICAP III has a selective reactive jammer that uses software to “rapidly focus its jamming energy on any frequency band being used by enemy surface-to-air missile systems, making it particularly effective against frequency-agile radar threats,” Northrop Grumman said in a release. The ICAP III system also features a geo-location capability to fix the locations of hostile emitters.

One of Northrop Grumman’s tasks will be to enable a single electronic warfare operator to run the ICAP III system. The EA-6B flies with up to three electronic warfare operators.

The ICAP III system is scheduled to enter service in the EA-6B in 2005. The 90 EA-18Gs planned are scheduled to begin replacing the EA-6B in 2009.

Raytheon Evolved SeaSparrow Approved for Full-Rate Production

The RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow missile (ESSM) system — built by Raytheon Missile Systems — has been approved for full-rate production by John J. Young, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.

The ESSM — designed to counter high-speed, maneuvering cruise missiles with low radar cross sections — has been installed in two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the USS Chafee and the USS McCampbell, Naval Sea Systems Command said in a release. The ESSM can be launched from existing Mk41 and Mk48 vertical launching systems as well as the old Mk29 box launcher.

The ESSM already is in service on board Anzac-class frigates in the Royal Australian Navy. The operational tests of the ESSM were conducted in September 2003 from the frigate HMAS Warramunga. The ESSM also has been fired from the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provincien, and will continue to be tested from warships of the navies of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Turkey.

Final Juniper Buoy Tender Launched by Manitowoc

The 16th and final Juniper-class sea-going buoy tender has been launched and christened, marking completion of a production of 30 modern buoy tenders by Manitowoc Marine Group for the Coast Guard.

The 225-foot cutter was named Alder in ceremonies held Feb. 7 at Manitowoc’s Marinette Marine subsidiary in Manitowoc, Wis. The ship was christened by her sponsor, Judith Hull, wife of Coast Guard Vice Adm. James D. Hull, commander of the Atlantic Area and keynote speaker for the launching event.

The Alder is named after a previous cutter that served in the U.S. Lighthouse Service and U.S. Coast Guard between 1924 and 1947. The new cutter will be stationed in Duluth, Minn., and perform roles including servicing navigation aids, search and rescue, law enforcement, pollution control and domestic ice breaking.

In addition to the 16 Juniper-class tenders, Manitowoc Marine Group built 14 Keeper-class coastal buoy tenders for the Coast Guard.

Defense Industry Notes

¨ Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has been awarded a $61 million contract modification from the Naval Air Systems Command for the second low-rate initial production run of the APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. The 12 APG-79s, built by Raytheon under contract to Boeing, will be installed on F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters as part of the Block II upgrade to the aircraft. The APG-79 is designed for multitarget tracking and increased situational awareness, Boeing said in a release.

¨ Manitowoc Marine Group laid the keel of the Coast Guard’s next Great Lakes icebreaker, the Mackinaw, on Feb. 10 at the company’s Marinette Marine shipyard. The 240-foot-long, 3,500-ton cutter will replace an icebreaker of the same name that has served for nearly 60 years. The new Mackinaw, scheduled for delivery in 2005, will be based in Cheboygan, Mich., and perform icebreaking, rescue, pollution control, homeland security and law-enforcement duties.

¨ Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a $175.9 million contract from the Naval Air Systems Command for the third low-rate production batch of the Block IV version of the Tomahawk land-attack missile — the Tactical Tomahawk. Raytheon will build approximately 225 Tactical Tomahawks under the contract.

¨ Northrop Grumman Ship Systems laid the keel of the eighth Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, the Makin Island, on Feb. 14 at the company’s Ingalls Operations shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. Silke Boie Hagee, the ship’s sponsor and wife of Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee, signed her initials on the keel plate of the ship. The Makin Island will feature many improvements over her seven sister ships, including gas turbine propulsion instead of steam power.

¨ Boeing Naval Systems has completed integration of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land-Attack Missile–Expanded Response) cruise missile onto the Navy’s P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The SLAM-ER — a precision-strike cruise missile with a range of more than 150 nautical miles — can be retargeted in flight, and uses the global positioning system and an infrared seeker for guidance. Boeing expects to complete modification of 59 P-3Cs with SLAM-ER capability by the end of 2004. In recent years, P-3Cs have launched AGM-84E SLAMs in combat against hostile targets in Kosovo, Serbia and Afghanistan. The SLAM-ER will increase the lethality of the P-3C as a land-attack platform. In a related development, Boeing has been awarded a $61.3 million contract from the Naval Air Systems Command to provide SLAM-ERs for the Republic of Korea.

¨ Electric Boat Corp. — a General Dynamics company — has been awarded a $149.3 million contract modification for the conversion of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Florida to a guided-missile submarine configuration, as well as for planning for the similar conversion of USS Georgia.

¨ Northrop Grumman Newport News has been awarded a $139 million contract to continue preparations for the refueling and comprehensive overhaul (RCOH) of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. The RCOH — which will extend the life of the ship to 50 years — was delayed a year and is now scheduled to begin in November 2005.