BAE Systems completes flight tests of F-22A Digital Electronic Warfare System
05 Jan 2006
BAE Systems has successfully completed the first phase of developmental flight tests for the U. S. Air Forces F-22A Raptor digital Electronic Warfare (EW) system. The tests were conducted aboard Raptor 4009 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, over the past four months.
The flight tests are part of BAE Systems F-22A product improvement program. In 2004, Lockheed Martin the F-22A prime contractor selected BAE Systems digital receiver technology as the baseline EW system for future production lots on the new Air Force fighter.
The digital EW system exploits breakthroughs in commercial analogue-to-digital (ADC) technology and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). It replaces older analogue receiver technology with reconfigurable digital receivers providing cost, power and weight savings for the F-22A.
BAE Systems has met all of the digital EW program commitments and is delivering enabling technology to help the F-22A meet future war fighter mission needs, said John Paquet, director of Missions Systems and Software at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
This product improvement program will result in production cost savings in excess of $90 million for near-term production lots, said Bill Hill, Digital EW program manager for BAE Systems at Nashua, N.H. The new programmable digital hardware requires fewer unique parts, improves reliability, and substantially decreases the supportability cost.
The flight tests are the culmination of a three-year engineering and manufacturing development effort. The new digital EW equipment will now be introduced in BAE Systems Lot 5 production deliveries that will be incorporated on the aircraft beginning later this year.
The product improvement program began as a company-funded research and development effort, sponsored by the Aeronautical System Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to build a wideband, channelized digital receiver. The success of that effort stimulated Congressional support for the cost-saving opportunity to fund a Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) project to mature the implementation of the technology.
About BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defence and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The Company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, combat vehicles, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems. It is a pioneer in technology with a heritage stretching back hundreds of years and is at the forefront of innovation, working to develop the next generation of intelligent defence systems. BAE Systems has major operations across five continents and customers in some 130 countries. The Company employs over 90,000 people and generates annual sales of approximately 14.8 billion through its wholly owned and joint-venture operations.
For further information, please contact:
Jim Mallon, BAE Systems, USA
Tel: +1 215-996-2729
james.mallon@baesystems.com
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