US Navy explores new Advanced Electronic Warfare suite options

The US Navy (USN) has begun to explore options for a next-generation Advanced Electronic Warfare (ADVEW) suite to equip in-service F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier-borne strikefighters and a follow-on naval tactical aircraft.

In a request for information (RFI) released on 15 January, US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said it was seeking industry input as part of a market survey supporting the ADVEW acquisition strategy and materiel solution analyses.

The USN is studying options for a new EW suite on future carrier-borne aircraft and its F/A-18E/F fleet. (Boeing)

According to NAVAIR, the ADVEW suite is intended to serve as a replacement for the AN/ALQ-214A(V) radio frequency (RF) countermeasures and AN/ALR-67(V) radar warning receiver (RWR) systems to be deployed on board the F/A-18E/F Service Life Modification Block II, the F/A-18E/F Block III, and a next generation of naval aviation platforms. RFI responses are intended to provide information on notional concepts, development/delivery schedules, subsystem technology maturity, and forecast cost/schedule/performance to inform NAVAIR's initial planning and cost estimation.

The ADVEW RFI is seeking specific information on frequency coverage and RF performance characteristics (both RF countermeasures and RWR); mechanical performance and interface requirements (ADVEW hardware form factors and mass properties should not exceed the currently installed AN/ALQ-214A(V) and AN/ALR-67(V) platform limitations); flight envelope carriage performance; and platform size, weight, prime power, and cooling constraints. Respondents have also been asked to consider performance trade space, subsystem technology maturity, leverage of existing system integration and technology, product support, reliability and maintainability, and modelling and simulation.