U.S. Navy helos getting Lockheed Martin counter-missile capability

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin is to provide enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities against anti-ship missiles to U.S. Navy helicopters.

The system to be hosted by MH-60R or MH-60S Seahawk aircraft is the Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) Active Mission Payload AN/ALQ-248, is a self-contained electronic warfare pod, Lockheed Martin said.

"Every day ships across the world are facing a variety of evolving threats," said Joe Ottaviano, Lockheed Martin's electronic warfare program director. "Our Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare AMP AN/ALQ-248 system will help create a coordinated attack against these threats, to keep our warfighters safe by controlling the electromagnetic spectrum and disrupting adversaries."

The AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 can work independently or with the ship's onboard electronic surveillance sensor, SEWIP Block 2 AN/SLQ-32(V)6, to detect an incoming missile and then evaluate where it is going. Radio frequency countermeasure techniques are then used to deter the missile.

Lockheed Martin said it will deliver up to 18 AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 pods to the U.S. Navy if all options of the Navy contract are exercised.

Manufacture of the systems is scheduled to begin in 2019.