AAI to upgrade electronic warfare test systems for F/A-18 carrier-based jet for hardware sharing among simulators
CHINA LAKE NAVAL AIR WEAPONS STATION, Calif., 3 March 2013. U.S. Navy avionics test experts are asking AAI Corp. in Hunt Valley, Md., to upgrade the Electronic Warfare Systems Integration Test Environment (EW SITE) for all variants of the Navy's F/A-18 Hornet carrier-based jet fighter-bomber.
The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in Ridgecrest, Calif., announced plans to award a sole-source contract to AAI to procure one F/A-18 EW Site, as well as upgrade the Navy's existing EW SITE system by adding synthetic source instruments (SSIs).
The EW SITE system must be compatible with the Navy's existing system to enable sharing of hardware components between existing threat simulators and capitalize on Navy threat scenario software.
The EW SITE system supports the ability to validate performance and integration of the systems and capabilities of all variants of the F/A-18 aircraft.
The Navy plans to award a sole-source contract because AAI is the developer and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the current EW SITE system. The value of the upcoming contract has yet to be negotiated.
AAI manufactures the only model of RF synthesizer compatible with the Navy's Advanced Weapons Laboratory (AWL) Electronic Warfare Radio Frequency threat simulator. The RF synthesizer is proprietary to AAI, Navy officials say.
For more information contact AAI Corp. online at www.aaicorp.com, or the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at www.navair.navy.mil.
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John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
