Navy awards another deal for electronic warfare upgrades

The Navy has awarded General Dynamics Mission Systems a contract for work on its ongoing electronic warfare upgrades to improve situational awareness for the service’s ships.

The five-year deal covers full-rate production on Block 1B3 of the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program, adding display upgrades, a high-gain high-sensitivity electronic capability and other features for most of the Navy’s surface ships, according to an announcement from the company.

General Dynamics, which has been involved with SEWIP since 2003, had in 2014 received a low-rate initial production contract for the Block 1B3 work.

SEWIP, which was initiated in 2002, is a program to provide incremental upgrades, divided into blocks, for Navy ships, replacing the 1970s-era AN/SLQ-32 systems. Each block adds new capabilities, depending on their designation.

Last July, the Navy gave Lockheed Martin a $154.9 million modification to an earlier contract for Block 2 improvements, which provides improved electronic support receivers, a combat system interface and upgrades to the systems’ receiver/antenna group. Block 3, which is being developed jointly by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, will add an electronic attack capability for all ships. 

Eventually, Block 4 of SEWIP will add advanced electro-optical and infrared capabilities., the Navy has said.