Northrop Grumman Corp. has provided a powerful upgrade to the U.S. Navy’s electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, with its delivery of the first AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 engineering and development model. The system, which is intended for land-based testing, was transferred during a special event in Baltimore, MD. The system (see the figure), which is an upgrade to the legacy AN/SLQ-32 EW system, was developed with enhanced detection capabilities as part of a follow-on contract to an engineering, manufacturing, and production contract with the Navy from September 2020.
“The AN/SLQ-32(V)7 EDM delivery to the U.S. Navy for continued government land-based testing following formal qualification testing is a significant achievement for the SEWIP Block 3 program,” said Captain Jason Hall, the U.S. Navy’s Major Program Manager of Above Water Sensors and Lasers. “SEWIP Block 3 provides a critical electronic warfare capability to the Fleet to pace the evolving anti-ship missile threat,” he added. The system will undergo formal land-based testing at the Naval Sea Systems Command Surface Combat Systems Center (Wallops Island, VA).
Mike Meaney, vice-president of land and maritime sensors at Northrop Grumman, explained: “This delivery represents the next step in a multi-year effort to take SEWIP from the laboratory to the warfighter. Providing the comprehensive hardware-defined, software-enabled system to the Navy proves out the final design and signifies the end of the engineering, manufacturing, and development phase.”