VIVAERO

Raytheon advances F/A-18 electronic warfare capabilities

Raytheon has achieved a significant milestone in the development of its Advanced Electronic Warfare (ADVEW) prototype for the US Navy's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet.

The company recently completed a Delta Design Review ahead of schedule, marking a crucial step in replacing existing electronic warfare components on the aircraft to enhance survivability and long-term sustainability.

The review focused on assessing the weapons replaceable assemblies (WRAs) and evaluating how each part of the hardware system works together to meet required specifications. The successful review confirmed that the ADVEW system can deliver critical electronic attack and electronic support measures capabilities.

"This event is a significant milestone that demonstrates our multi-function approach of integrating electronic support and electronic attack to revolutionise modern electronic warfare systems," said Bryan Rosselli, president of Advanced Products & Solutions at Raytheon. "Our solution provides the needed capabilities to defeat the ever-evolving threats of the world's most dangerous adversaries now and well into the future."

Raytheon's innovative use of digital and model-based systems engineering tools in the development of ADVEW ensures requirements traceability, streamlines system integration, and mitigates risk, enabling rapid aircraft integration. The company's approach leverages a common material base and manufacturing processes to efficiently scale, reduce costs, minimise supply chain disruption, and deliver ahead of schedule.

In December of last year, Raytheon was awarded an $80m contract to prototype the system for the US Navy. The successful completion of the Delta Design Review marks another milestone in the ADVEW development and initiates the next phase, which includes government laboratory testing to validate Open Mission Systems compliance and demonstrate advanced system attributes.

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