Check Out The First Photos Of Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band On The EA-18 Growler

Raytheon’s NGJ-MB ram air turbine generator is designed to give the EA-18G Growler more power than it has ever had before to jam at unprecedented levels.

The photos in this post are the first featuring a Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) on the EA-18 Growler. NGJ-MB is a high-capacity and high-power airborne electronic attack weapon system. It will protect air forces by denying, degrading and disrupting threat radars and communication devices.

According to Raytheon, the company completed the first power generation flight test of the NGJ-MB on Oct. 28, 2019. The U.S. Navy will use the test data to inform the airworthiness authorization decision to fly NGJ-MB on the EA-18G Growler in the spring of 2020.

Raytheon conducted the three flight tests onboard a Calspan commercial jet to assess the jammer’s prime power generation system, known as the ram air turbine generator, at Niagara Falls Airport in New York. The generator scoops air from the airstream, turns a turbine and creates electricity that enables NGJ-MB to jam enemy radars and communications.

“This is the first time the pod generated its own power outside of a lab,” said Ernest Winston, senior manager for Electronic Warfare Systems. “Future tests will verify the power is sufficient to enable NGJ-MB to significantly enhance range, attack multiple targets simultaneously and perform advanced jamming.”

Raytheon’s NGJ-MB ram air turbine generator is designed to give the Growler more power than it has ever had before to jam at unprecedented levels. Its open architecture and design allow the technology to be scaled to other missions and platforms.

Raytheon’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band is an advanced electronic attack system that denies, disrupts and degrades enemy technology, including communication tools and air-defense systems.

Built with a combination of agile, active electronically scanned arrays and an all-digital back end, it gives E/A-18 Growler pilots an edge in the hotly contested electromagnetic spectrum.

In July, Raytheon delivered the first Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band Engineering and Manufacturing Development pod to the U.S. Navy to begin ground and aircraft integration testing. 

NGJ-MB enables:

– Operating at significantly enhanced ranges

– Attacking multiple targets simultaneously

– Advanced jamming techniques – Rapid upgrades through a modular, open systems architecture

Photo credit: U.S. Navy and Raytheon