MELBOURNE, Fla. Harris Corp. (NYSE:HRS) in Melbourne, Florida, is supplying the next production lot of electronic jammers to protect U.S. Navy and Australian F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft against electronic threats, under a $161 million contract modification.
Harris will manufacture and deliver Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) jammers for F/A-18C/D/E/F variants, with deliveries expected to be completed by May 2021.
The Harris ALQ-214(V)4/5 is the key onboard electronic warfare (EW) jamming system for the IDECM program, protecting the aircraft from electronic threats, including sophisticated integrated air defense systems.
This award is in addition to a $133 million production lot award received in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. Harris has received more than $1 billion in awards to date from the Naval Air Systems Command for AN/ALQ-214 development and production and was recently recognized by the Navy for maintaining a perfect on-time delivery record over the entire 20-year life of the IDECM program.
“The 20-year flawless delivery record to the Navy is a remarkable achievement, and we look forward to supporting their critical missions for the next 20 years and beyond,” says Harris Electronic Systems President Ed Zoiss. “Our investments and dedication to delivering IDECM systems has helped to keep naval aviators ahead of emerging threats and out of harm’s way.”
Harris has been providing the Navy with the IDECM solution for 20 years, but it is not 20 year-old technology, officials say.
- In the 1990s, Harris provided the ALQ-165 Airborne Self Protection Jammer for C/D version of the F-18 Hornets.
- In the 2000s, Harris provided the ALQ-214 (V)3 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM), Radio Frequency Countermeasure (RFCM) System for the E/F Super Hornets.
- In 2012, Harris provided a complete technology refresh of ALQ-214 with two configurations – (V)4 for the E/F Super Hornets and (V)5 for the legacy C/D Hornets.
The current (V)4/5 version's new architecture makes the ALQ-214 more software-defined – making it easier to adapt and upgrade as threats evolve without major hardware modifications.
The current production order includes systems in support of U.S. Navy needs, as well as initial systems for the recent FMS procurement of Super Hornets by Kuwait.
Harris Corporation provides solutions that connect, inform, and protect. Harris supports government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $6 billion in annual revenue. The company is organized into three business segments: Communication Systems, Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligence Systems.
