US Navy receives AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare system from Northrop Grumman.

According to a press release published by Northrop Grumman on June 11, 2021, the firm has delivered the AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 Engineering and Development Model (EDM) to the U.S. Navy for land-based testing. The official transfer was marked at an event with company and Navy program officials at Northrop Grumman’s systems integration facility in Baltimore, Maryland.
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AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 Engineering and Development Model (Picture source: Raytheon)

Northrop Grumman successfully completed SEWIP Block 3 system integration and formal qualification testing as part of the engineering, manufacturing and development contract. This milestone indicates that the system is ready to transition to the U.S. Navy for formal land-based testing at the Naval Sea Systems Command Surface Combat Systems Center in Wallops Island, Virginia.

The SLQ-32(V) is the principal EW system carried by major US Navy surface ships, with more than 450 systems produced to date. The (V)1 and (V)2 suites are passive, providing early warning, identification and direction-finding capability for simultaneous multiple threats. The (V)3 suite provides an additional active response for simultaneous jamming of multiple threats. The (V)4, an expanded version of the (V)3, is used on aircraft carriers. The (V)5, used on destroyers and frigates, integrates a passive (V)2 with an active jammer called "Sidekick." The SLQ-32(V) system has been in operation around the globe since the 1980s, and ongoing efforts to restore and upgrade older systems will extend the life of the SLQ-32(V) well into the 21st century.

The system achieves EW objectives by providing full threat band frequency coverage, instantaneous azimuth coverage, 100 percent probability of intercept and simultaneous response to multiple threats. It can detect aircraft search and target radars well before they detect the ship. The system's rapid response time ensures that jamming protection is enabled to prevent long range targeting of the ship and to deceive missiles launched against the ship. The system has an on-line library of emitter types for rapid identification.

Raytheon recently teamed with Lockheed Martin to compete for the U.S. Navy's Surface Electron Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 program. SEWIP Block 3 will upgrade the fleet's capability to electronically attack anti-ship missiles with the AN/SLQ-32(V) electronic warfare system.