Block 2 obtained a Milestone C decision in January
2013, after which the system began 11 months of land-based testing in
preparation for installation on a Navy warship. This test, which successfully
completed earlier this month, demonstrated the maturity of the open
architecture electronic warfare system by performing full system operation
in multiple scenarios.
“We are very proud of the effort the SEWIP team has put into
achieving these successes,” said Joseph Ottaviano, director
of surface electronic warfare at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems
and Training division. “Milestone C is a critical step towards
delivering these next generation systems to the Fleet, and we are
extremely pleased with the progress and results.”
Block 2 is the latest in an evolutionary succession of improvement
“blocks” the Navy is pursuing for its shipboard electronic
warfare system, which will incrementally add new technologies and
functional capabilities. The Navy competitively awarded Lockheed Martin
a contract in 2009 to develop SEWIP Block 2 to upgrade the passive
detection capabilities of the current SLQ-32 systems. The company
recently completed shore-based testing in preparation for ship installation.
Work on the SEWIP program is performed at the company’s Syracuse,
N.Y. facility, which houses a new electronic warfare system test facility
that simulates the complex environment submarines, surface ships and
aircraft could operate in. By performing testing prior to delivery,
the company is able to reduce risk and lower costs for the SEWIP program.
