Lockheed’s helicopter-based missile detection system passes review
Staff
Quality Defense lockheed martinThe AOEW system was designed for use on the MH-60 helicopter and will enable enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities.
Lockheed Martin has tested its new Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system and it has officially passed Preliminary Design Review on schedule.
Lockheed Martins Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) Active Mission Payload (AMP) AN/ALQ-248 system. Image courtesy Lockheed Martin. (PRNewsfoto/Lockheed Martin)
The AOEW system was designed specifically for use on the MH-60 helicopter and will enable enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities against anti-ship missile (ASM) threats.
“The battlefield at sea is constantly changing,” said Joe Ottaviano, electronic warfare program director. “Our Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare capabilities will give the U.S. Navy a powerful tool to detect threats and respond to our adversaries.”
The U.S. Navy awarded the global security and aerospace company a $42 million contract for the system design and development phase. Lockheed Martin expects to be awarded the EMD phase of the contract, which has options for six units, in later this year.
The AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 can work independently or with the ship’s onboard electronic surveillance sensor, SEWIP Block 2 AN/SLQ-32(V)6, to detect an incoming missile and then evaluate where it is going. AOEW then uses radio frequency countermeasure techniques to deter the missile. The AOEW program leverages expertise across the company.
Construction of the AOEW systems in Syracuse, New York, is slated to begin in early 2018. The Owego, New York, team will integrate the system onto the MH-60 helicopters, which are built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company.
