You are at netAirspace : Forum : Air and Space Forums : Military Aviation

A shrinking defense industry may be jeopardizing key elements of the U.S. Navy's electronic warfare (EW) plans. Of most concern is the dearth of companies that are still capable of building strike aircraft—manned or unmanned.

By 2030, service leaders worry that there may be no competition for new designs. Boeing, for example, has already bought the last long-lead items for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet line.

The F/A-XX strike fighter, which is to replace the Super Hornet, the EA-18G Growler, an unmanned combat aircraft (currently exemplified by two X-47B test platforms) and a nascent arsenal of specialized air-launched standoff weapons are all part of the Navy's new emphasis on exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum through airborne electronic exploitation.

The discipline of airborne EW now encompasses electronic attack (which includes jamming and spoofing), electronic protection against jamming and cyberattack, and offensive cybercapabilities to attack enemy networks.

The Navy just issued a request for information (RFI) for the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) that will greatly improve the Growler's electronic attack capability.

Link