As military electronic systems move to more complex and higher RF/microwave signals, the means of disrupting or jamming those signals must follow, and the Next-Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) system is an advanced answer from Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S) to deny, disrupt, and degrade an enemy’s technology. The U.S. Navy’s NGJ-MB system, which recently flew on an EA-18G Growler (see figure), is an electronic attack system designed for use against an enemy’s technology, including their communication and air-defense systems.
“After hundreds of hours of successful ground and chamber testing, NGJ-MB’s first Growler flight test marked a significant achievement for the program toward Milestone C and IOC,” said Annabel Flores, vice-president of electronic warfare systems for RI&S. “It’s a testament to the technology and the collaborative efforts of the RI&S team with the Navy’s engineering, integration, and test teams,” she added.
The first flight was conducted at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD on August 7, 2020 and met all objectives for the initial set of tests. Future flight testing will demonstrate weapons system control, power generation, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) between the jammer and the aircraft and its other electronic systems. Those tests will also evaluate high-capacity waveform generation and use against a wide range of targets. Flight testing follows more than 600 hours of ground testing of engineering development model (EDM) pods.