Navy Champions Innovation: RTX Secures $80M for Super Hornet’s ADVEW Prototype
The United States Navy has granted Raytheon, an RTX Business, an $80 million contract in a selective process to develop a prototype for Advanced Electronic Warfare, or ADVEW, intended for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. This prototype is set to serve as a substitute for the current AN/ALQ-214 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures and the AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver, offering a unified solution that promises enhanced electronic warfare abilities to support the Navy’s carrier air wing.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft ascends over the Baltic Sea Region while engaging in BALTOPS-22, on June 9, 2022.
“These innovations are setting the stage for the next wave of electronic warfare,” remarked Bryan Rosselli, president of Advanced Products & Solutions at Raytheon. “We are entirely overhauling and consolidating the outdated systems into a single-unit solution, which will provide a generational upgrade to the electronic warfare capabilities for the Super Hornet’s operational lifespan.”
Raytheon’s Advanced Electronic Warfare solution is poised to deliver substantial performance enhancements by streamlining existing electronic warfare systems into fewer elements and adopting government-mandated open architecture. The development of this cutting-edge solution will align and integrate seamlessly with other combat-tested, radio frequency sensors and effectors used by the Super Hornet. ADVEW will ensure that F/A-18E/Fs retain their edge in electronic warfare operations while significantly boosting their survivability against sophisticated, multifaceted threats.
The development and evaluation of ADVEW will primarily occur in Goleta, California. Throughout the prototype phase, the system will undergo preliminary design assessments, critical design evaluations, and flight testing over a span of 36 months.
