MAGTF EW for Aviation

The MAGTF EW for Aviation program is a Navy budget line item (LI 0587) dedicated to supporting the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Electronic Warfare (EW) mission. Its primary objective is to fund modifications that enhance the EW capabilities of aviation assets within the MAGTF, enabling improved responses to both current and emerging electromagnetic spectrum threats. The program is managed under the Aircraft Procurement, Navy appropriation, specifically focused on the modification of aircraft to integrate advanced EW systems and technologies.

A central goal of this line item is to address capability gaps in MAGTF EW sufficiency and integration. The program aims to provide collaborative electronic attack and EW battle management, develop an EW services architecture, and field the Intrepid Tiger series of EW systems. These capabilities are designed for flexible deployment across a wide range of MAGTF air and ground platforms, including fixed-wing, tilt-rotor, and rotary-wing aircraft. The modifications funded by this program support both the procurement of new EW technologies and the upgrade of existing equipment to counter evolving adversary systems.

The Intrepid Tiger II Series (AN/ALQ-231) is the primary focus within this budget line, with resources allocated for its continued development and fielding. The program's objectives include expanding electromagnetic spectrum control, improving spectrum management, and increasing EW effectiveness against current and future threats. Key efforts involve upgrading the technique generator to support new countermeasure techniques, enhancing antenna systems for broader frequency coverage, and improving network and EW services to allow remote operator access and information exchange. Interface upgrades are also planned to enable both ground and air users to configure and monitor EW pod status and effectiveness.

The program incorporates engineering change proposals (ECPs) to facilitate technology insertion via Advanced Technology Kits. These kits focus on upgrading hardware and software components such as processors, sensors, radios, and radio frequency modules, which are critical to the pod's operation. The upgrades are designed to maintain open architecture compliance, ensuring future adaptability and ease of integration with other MAGTF EW assets. Additionally, the program addresses reliability, maintainability, and availability improvements, resolves obsolescence issues, and enhances mission capability through ongoing system modifications.

Budget updates for FY 2026 reflect a realignment of funding from the (V)4 variant to the (V)3 Block II effort, in response to emergent Fleet requirements for the Intrepid Tiger II AN/ALQ-231 capability. This shift prioritizes the replacement of obsolete components with advanced technologies and delivers improved capabilities aligned with operational needs. The FY 2026 request also includes a reduction in advisory and assistance services and civilian personnel costs, in compliance with Executive Orders 14222 and 14210, which promote government efficiency and workforce optimization.

Inactive OSIPs represent a smaller portion of the budget, with prior year funds allocated for reliability and mission capability modifications to legacy systems such as the EA-6B. No new funding is requested for these items in FY 2026, as these modifications have been completed in previous years. The focus remains on maintaining accurate accounting for past expenditures and ensuring that all legacy EW systems are properly documented as they transition out of active service.