Electronic Warfare Development

The PE 0604270N: Electronic Warfare (EW) Development program element is a comprehensive Navy Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) initiative focused on advancing electronic warfare capabilities for the United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Corps (USMC), and select Army tactical aircraft. The overarching goal is to develop, test, and demonstrate EW systems that enhance survivability, lethality, and operational effectiveness in increasingly contested electromagnetic environments. This program element encompasses multiple projects, each targeting specific aspects of EW, including airborne and surface jamming, countermeasures, survivability optimization, and rapid prototyping to address emerging threats.

EW Counter Response is centered on the development and optimization of jamming techniques and electronic attack algorithms for current and future Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) systems. The Jammer Techniques Optimization (JATO) organization, in partnership with government and University Affiliated Research Centers, leads efforts in modeling, simulation, laboratory, and field testing to maximize the effectiveness of systems such as the AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System, AN/ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB), and Intrepid Tiger II. The project also supports rapid insertion of new hardware and software technologies into operational systems, risk reduction activities, and incremental upgrades to maintain EW superiority against evolving RF threats.

EW Technical Development and T&E provides quick reaction prototyping and technology maturation for tactical information and EW systems, with a particular focus on countering adversary Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (C5ISRT) platforms. Managed by Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), this project supports research and risk reduction on cyber and EW countermeasures, and develops new capabilities for joint and multi-domain operations. Due to the classified nature of these efforts, specific technical details are not publicly available. The objective is to rapidly address operational gaps in information warfare.

Tactical Air Electronic Warfare focuses on the development, integration, and testing of advanced electronic countermeasures for tactical aircraft, notably the F/A-18 series. Key objectives include the IDECM Block 4 (IB-4) Engineering Change Proposal for the ALQ-214 system, Adaptive Radar Countermeasures (ARC) software builds, and the Dual Band Decoy (DBD) program. These efforts aim to enhance survivability against modern radar threats, improve situational awareness, and enable expanded RF countermeasure capabilities. The program employs agile software development, competitive prototyping, and evolutionary acquisition strategies to accelerate fielding of new capabilities.

Technology Development supports rapid prototyping and fielding of tactical EW and countermeasure solutions, with an emphasis on improving self-defense for tactical aircraft. Investments are made in countermeasure and jammer algorithm development, advanced EW suite studies, threat data file updates, and hardware-in-the-loop modeling and simulation. The goal is to ensure that updated countermeasure techniques and threat libraries can be deployed rapidly to operational units, maintaining a technological edge over adversaries.

Assault Survivability Optimization is dedicated to enhancing aircraft survivability through the development and integration of advanced expendable countermeasures, such as the Common Carriage (CC) system and Integrated Aircraft Survivability Equipment (iASE). This project funds hardware and software development, modeling and simulation, and extensive test and evaluation for platforms including the F/A-18, MH-60, P-8, CMV-22, CH-53K, and MV-22. The aim is to reduce logistics footprints, standardize countermeasures across services, and provide tailored responses to advanced integrated air defense systems.

MAGTF EW Aviation Development supports the USMC's Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) EW modernization, focusing on the development, integration, and testing of the AN/ALQ-231(V) Intrepid Tiger II family of systems. This project addresses capability gaps in electronic attack and support, leveraging modular, open-architecture payloads for a wide range of manned and unmanned platforms. It aims to ensure interoperability with USMC's Electronic Warfare Services Architecture and to provide scalable, adaptable solutions for emerging and irregular threats.

Collectively, the PE 0604270N program element is structured to address both immediate operational needs and long-term strategic challenges in the electromagnetic spectrum. Through a combination of rapid prototyping, agile development, and rigorous test and evaluation, these projects seek to ensure that USN and USMC forces retain a decisive advantage in electronic warfare, survivability, and spectrum dominance.