Raytheon releases first image of Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band on EA-18 Growler

U.S. weapons maker Raytheon Co on Thursday released first images of Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band on the EA-18 Growler.

According to a company news release, the new pod will protect the U.S. Navy’s air forces by denying, degrading and disrupting enemy radars and communication devices.

It also added that Raytheon Company completed the first power generation flight test of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band. 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.