Marines award $73.2M deal for backpack electronic warfare devices

The Marine Corps has awarded a $73.2 million contract to Sierra Nevada Corp. for the latest version of portable, backpack-able electronic warfare systems capable of blocking improvised explosive detonation signals and conducting offensive operations against enemy communications.

The contract calls for 581 of the Modi II dismounted electronic countermeasure systems by August 2016, Sierra Nevada announced. The systems can be configured to be used in backpacks, in vehicles, at fixed sites and in aircraft.

Modi II, which is capable of both offensive and defensive operations, is the latest in the company’s line of electronic warfare and range instrumentation devices, many of which are already in use in the military for counter-IED purposes.

With the electromagnetic spectrum becoming an increasingly contested environment, the military services have been steadily investing in EW systems. The Navy, for instance, is regularly upgrade its Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program, the Air Force is looking for an EW test kit that will allow it to simulate new prototypes, and the Army is working on integrating cyber and EW operations more tightly into its battlefield operations.