Northrop Grumman has received authorization to proceed with low-rate initial production (LRIP) of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 systems. The government decision follows a successful demonstration of the advanced electronic-warfare (EW) system with the U.S. Navy as part of the SEWIP Block 3 AN/SLQ-32(V)7 program.
The EW system is considered vital protection for the Navy against growing threats of anti-ship cruise missiles. “Milestone C approval and the start of LRIP are significant milestones for the SEWIP Block 3 program,” said Captain Seiko Okano, the Navy’s major program manager of above water sensors. “SEWIP Block 3 is a critical capability that the Fleet needed yesterday to pace the evolving anti-ship cruise missile threat. We must continue to push to deliver this critical electronic warfare improvement to the Fleet on schedule and cost.”
The SEWIP Block 3 EW system is a cornerstone electronic-protection system for the U.S. Navy against the growing threats of anti-ship cruise missiles. (Courtesy of Northrop Grumman)
SEWIP Block 3 refers to the third in a series of block or system-level upgrades to the AN/SLQ-32 EW platform. The system provides electronic-attack (EA) capability improvements to counter evolving anti-ship cruise missile threats. The readily adaptable system provides flexible protection for the Navy within the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum when used as a warfighting domain, fending off such threats as EW and electronic-countermeasures (ECM) systems.
“I am very proud of the entire team in achieving this significant engineering milestone despite the complexities of pursuing such a demanding technological goal,” said Ingrid Vaughan, vice president and general manager, Navigation & Maritime Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. “The relentless commitment of the U.S. Navy Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) and Northrop Grumman team in developing this revolutionary electronic attack capability will dramatically assist our Fleet in pacing 21st Century threats.”
