Navy Awards Lockheed $43 Million for E-2D Electronic Support Measures Upgrade

OWEGO, N.Y. — Lockheed Martin has received
a $43 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to upgrade to the
AN/ALQ-217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system for the E-2D Advanced
Hawkeye, the company said in a release.

This
modification increases the scope of the existing E-2D AN/ALQ-217D electronic
support measures and provides upgrades to the receiver/processor, active front
end and receiver antenna weapons replaceable assemblies.

These
upgrades will give the warfighter additional performance in dense littoral and
open-ocean environments. The system’s enhanced situational awareness and full
autonomy will also reduce operator workload, enable faster reaction time and
improve survivability.

“We
are pleased to provide an upgraded AN/ALQ-217 ESM system for our U.S. Navy
customer,” said Hamid Salim, vice president, Advanced Product Solutions,
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. “The additional modifications are
critical upgrades for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye to improve overall performance
in a contested battlespace and provide the capability required by today’s
warfighter.”

The
Lockheed team will deliver several AN/ALQ-217D ESM upgrade kits to support
development and test through 2023. This is a 12-month period of performance
adjustment from the initial contract award. 

The base AN/ALQ-217D contract upgrades include improved combat identification networked-electronic warfare for multiship geolocation with other carrier air wing aircraft and detection of advanced threat radar systems. In addition, the upgrades further improve the platform’s antennas and active front ends.

Lockheed Martin has been the AN/ALQ-217 ESM supplier on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program since 1999. Most of the work will be performed in Owego, New York, and is expected to be completed by September 2023.