Lockheed Martin has supported a successful test of the Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) system’s electronic attack capabilities.
The test was performed while the system was installed on a US Navy MH-60R helicopter, and it marked the first time in the program’s development that the system was able to perform engagement testing, demonstrate its ability to deter threats and quantify its performance while integrated and controlled by the target platform.
This was a collaboration with the US Navy at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. The objective was to test the system’s capabilities and operability on the MH-60R helicopter platform. The system is designed for both the MH-60R and MR-60S Seahawk host platforms, but only the MH-60R was used for this particular test.
“The AOEW system is one of the most advanced, complex electronic warfare systems ever developed,” said Deon Viergutz, vice president of Spectrum Convergence at Lockheed Martin.
“AOEW is a force multiplier for our Sailors that will help them dominate and control the battlespace without ever firing a single shot. It is designed with evolutionary capabilities, set up to be completely programmable so that it can develop, deliver and deploy new techniques as the threat landscape changes.”
The AOEW programme aims to provide the US Navy with continued electronic surveillance and attack capabilities against naval threats, such as anti-ship missiles (ASM). Lockheed Martin’s AOEW Active Mission Payload (AMP) AN/ALQ-248 system is a self-contained EW pod that can be hosted by an MH-60R or MH-60S Seahawk helicopter.
This system offers advanced ASM detection and countermeasure capabilities, allowing the US Navy to not only detect incoming threats but also respond to them. AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 can work independently or in tandem with the ship’s onboard electronic surveillance sensor, SEWIP Block 2, to detect an incoming missile and evaluate its trajectory.
Additional tests and demonstrations of the AOEW pod are planned on host platforms in 2024. These tests will be used to refine the system performance based on the results. Currently, AOEW is under a low-rate initial production contract. The first AOEW units are expected to be delivered within the next year.
