The US Navy announced this week that it has awarded a $587 million contract to L3Harris for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of its Next Generation Jammer – Low Band (NGJ-LB) system. This decision comes four years after the Navy initially sought to advance the program in 2020.
“NGJ-LB will address current and emerging electronic warfare threats, enhancing the lethality of both 4th and 5th generation platforms as well as strike weapons,” said Rear Adm. John Lemmon, the program executive officer for tactical aircraft programs, in a statement issued on September 10. “The Navy is teaming up with L3Harris to deliver this critical capability to the warfighter.”
The NGJ-LB is a key component of the broader NGJ system, which is scheduled for installation on the Navy’s EA-18G Growler aircraft, with an anticipated early operational capability set for 2029. The contract awarded to L3Harris includes the engineering and manufacturing development phase, where the Department of Defense requests industry partners to produce initial prototype units prior to entering full-scale production. This phase allows manufacturers to verify that their production processes are effective while also enabling the Navy to conduct product testing before serial production begins.
“Our Next Generation Jammer – Low Band solution equips the U.S. Navy with cutting-edge digital, software-based technologies designed to counter advanced and emerging threats posed by peer adversaries,” stated Christopher Kubasik, chair and CEO of L3Harris.
L3Harris plans to deliver eight prototypes to Naval Air Systems Command for assessment and further testing over the next five years.
The Navy had initially awarded a contract for the NGJ-LB system in 2020, but faced protests from Northrop Grumman to the Government Accountability Office. This protest was resolved in 2022, leading to the Navy’s decision to amend its request for proposals and re-compete the contract in 2023. The NGJ-LB program is a collaborative effort between the Department of Defense and the Australian Department of Defence, meaning that the Royal Australian Air Force will also eventually benefit from this capability, according to the Navy’s statement.
In addition to L3Harris, Raytheon is responsible for the mid-band capability associated with the NGJ program. According to Flight Global, the first production pods of this mid-band capability were delivered to the Navy in 2023.
