U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler breaks away from a U.S. Air Force KC-135. Image – Senior Airman John Linzmeier, via Wikimedia Commons
According to a new analysis, The Market for Electronic Attack Systems, published by Forecast International, an estimated $8.5 billion will be spent through 2031 on the development and production of the major programs covered in the report. Leading contractors as they relate to this sampling of key EA systems include BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, Thales, and Raytheon Technologies.
The category of electronic attack includes systems that perform an electronic “offensive” function, such as those dedicated to jamming communications and radar systems as well as improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Also included in this category are devices devoted to airborne platform self-protection, such as infrared (IR) missile countermeasures. The need for this technology has only been given renewed impetus by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the resulting security implications for Europe and many other regions of the world.
On March 28, 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that six EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft were on their way to Europe to increase air integration capabilities and help support NATO partner nation defense. Already a formidable EA tool, the Growler is the primary platform for one of the market’s most vital, developing programs, the all-important Next Generation Jammer (NGJ).
The NGJ is structured as an evolutionary acquisition program that will ultimately provide enhanced capability to U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force EA-18G aircraft in three frequency increments, parts of which are in advanced testing and evaluation: Increment 1 (Mid-Band), Increment 2 (Low-Band), and Increment 3 (High-Band).
Major contract awards over recent years have kept this development well on track. In December 2020, the U.S. Navy awarded a $495.5 million contract for the production and delivery of 10 NGJ-LB pod simulators, eight operational prototype pods, four jettison mass model pods, two captive mass models, two mission system prototypes, and two technique development systems. Work is expected to be completed in September 2025.
More recently, Raytheon was awarded a $34.2 million contract in January 2021, for NGJ-MD engineering and test support services. The scope includes requirements analysis, design, development, integration, testing, and training, plus the provision of support tools.
Forecast International’s Electronic Warfare Forecast provides coverage of self-protection and early warning systems for military platforms, both in the skies and on the surface. This service features reports on notable systems such as the Next Generation Jammer and the Eurofighter EW suite, as well as electronic intelligence gathering and radar and missile warning systems currently available or in development. An annual subscription includes 80 individual reports, most with a 10-year unit production forecast. Product comes complete with three Market Segment Analyses covering the markets for: Decoys Dispensers; Electronic Attack Systems; and Electronic Support Measures. Click here to learn more.
Andrew Dardine is lead analyst for Forecast International's Defense Electronic Systems group. He is the primary author of Forecast International's Electronic Warfare Forecast and co-author of Electro-Optical Systems Forecast and C4I Forecast. Andrew is also a regular contributor to FI's Defense & Security Monitor blog, offering insights into developing technologies such as directed-energy and next-generation jamming systems. His analysis of such vital market areas as EO/IR systems and electronic countermeasures technology has been cited in Defense News, Aerospace Daily, and Bloomberg Businessweek, among other news media. He has also written about the electronic defense market for Aviation Week and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
