Jamming system in full-rate production

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CLIFTON, N.J., May 1 (UPI) -- ITT Exelis is to begin full-rate production of AN/ALQ-214 on-board jamming systems for F/A-18 aircraft of the U.S. Navy.

The AN/ALQ-214 (v)4/5) is smaller and lighter than its predecessor and can be installed on both the legacy Hornet F/A-18 C/D fighters and Super Hornet F/A-18 E/F variants.

Under the contract, which is worth $238 million, ITT Exelis will provide 194 systems to the Navy through fiscal year 2016, it said.

"This contract award resulted from an innovative engineering approach and a proven track record of performance," said Chris Bernhardt, Exelis executive vice president and president of the Electronic Systems division.

"Our long partnership with the U.S. Navy program team was essential to adopting a solution that will keep our Navy front-line fighters ahead of the most advanced threats to the F/A-18."

The AN/ALQ-214 Radio Frequency Counter-measures system combines sensitive receivers and active counter-measures to automatically thwart threats to the aircraft that are guided by radio frequencies. It is part of the Integrated Defensive Electronic Counter-measures -- the next-generation self-defense system Navy F/A-18s.