Engineers at the Northrop Grumman Corp. Mission Systems segment are building the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 electronic attack systems and hardware design modifications for destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships for the U.S. Navy.
SEWIP is an acquisition program to upgrade the existing AN/SLQ-32(V) EW system for surface warships and provide improved anti-ship missile defense and situational awareness.
Source: Northrop Grumman
The SEWIP Block 3 uses active electronically scanned array (AESA) antennas based on gallium nitride (GaN) transmit and receive modules. The system not only jams enemy targeting radars and missile guidance systems, but also features a Soft Kill Coordinator (SKC) to manage electronic-attack engagements.
Soft kill refers to altering the electromagnetic signature of friendly ships and other targets to confuse or interfere with enemy radar targeting systems.
The Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems segment is building the SEWIP Block 2 surface warfare EW system, which provides improved electronic support receivers and combat system interface and expands the receiver and antenna group to help surface electronic warfare capabilities keep pace with growing threats.
For more information, visit the Northrop Grumman Mission Systems website.
