ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – U.S. Air Force airborne electronic warfare (EW) experts needed devices that generate, modulate, and transmit signals within a specific frequency band for the AN/ALQ-161A EW system aboard the B-1B Lancer strategic jet bomber. They found a solution from Northrop Grumman Corp.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support activity at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., announced a $44.1 million sole-source contract Monday to the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems segment in McLean, Va., for band driver and RF transmitters for the B-1's AN/ALQ-161A EW system.
The AN/ALQ-161A helps B-1 bomber crews identify, acquire, and defend against enemy radar and missile systems. Built by L3Harris Technologies legacy company AIL Systems Inc., the AN/ALQ-161A is an integrated RF countermeasures system.
360-degree jamming
The AN/ALQ-161A avionics provides 360-degree receive and jamming coverage to the B-1B bomber against many simultaneous threats, and also provides a tail warning function (TWF) to detect incoming missiles from behind the aircraft.
The AN/ALQ-161A is made up of more than 108 line-replaceable units (LRUs) that weigh more than 5,000 pounds, consuming about 120 kilowatts of power.
The EW system on the aircraft sorts threats by priority and react against them automatically. The system also knows when it is dangerous to use RF jamming. When the system is on, it does not emit signals that would give away the B-1's position until they are needed.
Stealthy EW
When the jammer is on, it emits only in a certain direction. Moreover, when it emits jamming signals that could reveal its position, it does so only for a short time and then shuts down.
The AN/ALQ-161A, which first was delivered in the 1980s, has been sustained through upgrades and modifications to detect and counter an ever changing EW threat.
This is a three-year contract with no option periods; Northrop Grumman should be finished by March 2029. For more information contact Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems online at www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/mission-solutions/electronic-warfare, or the Defense Logistics Agency Weapons Support activity at www.dla.mil/Distribution/Locations/Warner-Robins.
