A US Navy EA-18G Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 with ALQ-219(V)1s on the outer wing pylons and external fuel tanks on the inner wing and centreline pylons lands aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Photo: US Navy.
An advanced airborne electronic warfare jamming system that will soon enter service with the Royal Australian Air Force has achieved an initial operational capability (IOC) with the US Navy.
The podded AN/ALQ-219(V)1 Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) Mid-Band (MB) system has been undergoing an operational evaluation (OPEVAL) for the past couple of years and was first spotted in operational use on US Navy Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft in mid-2024.
Designed by Raytheon (RTX), the NGJ-MB is being developed by the US Navy is cooperation with the RAAF, as Australia is the only other operator of the EA-18G apart from the US. Follow-on NGJ Low-Band (LB) and High-Band (HB) systems are also currently under development or being defined.
Shaped very much like an external auxiliary fuel tank, the new pods will replace the aging AN/ALQ-99 jammer pods in US Navy and RAAF service, and are said to bring a “quantum leap” in capability with large increases in power, target flexibility and digital jamming techniques.
“Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band improves our fleet’s warfighting advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum,” the US Navy’s Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs, Rear Admiral John Lemmon said.
“This system provides enhanced capabilities to deny, distract and disorient adversaries’ radars, protecting our naval aviators and allowing them to carry out their missions in contested airspace.”
The declaration of IOC means the system has effectively completed its OPEVAL and is ready to proceed to higher rates of production and to be dispersed more widely across the fleet.
The OPEVAL culminated in a five-month deployment with the US Navy’s Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ)133 aboard the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln which saw extensive action against missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi rebels in the lower reaches of the Red Sea.
The EA-18G is a development of the F/A-18F Super Hornet of which Australia operates 24 and the US Navy more than 500, but features wiring and structural modifications to allow for greater electrical power generation and additional avionics and electronics. The US Navy operates more than 140 EA-18Gs, while the RAAF has 12 aircraft operated by No 6 Squadron based at Amberley near Brisbane.
The EA-18G can carry up to five of the current AN/ALQ-99 jammer pods, but more regularly flies with three to free up external pylons for additional fuel or weapons. It is expected the new pods will be carried in a similar configuration.
The US Navy’s Airborne Electronic Attack Systems (PMA-234) program manager Captain David Rueter said, “What an incredible day for the US Navy, our Australian partners, and the Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) community.
“The achievement of NGJ-MB IOC is a positive reflection on the hard work, innovation and resilience from a dedicated team of government and industry professionals who have developed and fielded this critical capability to the warfighters.”
As a cooperative development partner, the RAAF has a say in defining the requirements of the NGJ, as well as early access to production jammer pods as they become available.
To this end, a Defence spokesman told Region that RAAF EA-18Gs first flew with the new pods at the US Navy’s Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island base near Seattle in December, and that the first deliveries were expected in the near future.
This milestone comes hot on the heels of the award of a production contract for 13 shipsets of 26 NGJ-MB pods in early December, four of which are destined for the RAAF.
