Northrop Grumman Wins $334M for Carrier SEWIP Block 3
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- Northrop Grumman received a $334.4 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to produce up to nine additional SEWIP Block 3 electronic‑attack systems, including the first shipset for a nuclear‑powered aircraft carrier.
- The contract can total up to $783 million if all options are exercised, expanding Northrop Grumman’s obligation to deliver as many as 24 SEWIP Block 3 systems across the surface fleet.
- SEWIP Block 3 upgrades the AN/SLQ‑32(V)6/SEWIP Block 2 architecture with a non‑kinetic EA subsystem, creating the AN/SLQ‑32(V)7 configuration that uses Gallium‑Nitride active electronically scanned arrays.
- USS Pinckney (DDG‑91) became the first destroyer to install the AN/SLQ‑32(V)7 system under the “Hemisphere” configuration and is currently operating in the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury.
- USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) is slated in FY 2026 to receive the SEWIP Block 3 system during its five‑year refueling and complex overhaul, using a modified “Quadrant” hardware layout and integrating with the Ship Self‑Defense System MK 2 Baseline 12.
- Northrop Grumman is also developing a Scaled Onboard Electronic Attack (SOEA) solution for smaller combatants, leveraging the same EA technology and integrating with the AN/SLQ‑32(V)6 system from SEWIP Block 2; Lockheed Martin received a parallel Phase 1 rapid‑prototyping contract.
Why it matters: Northrop Grumman secures a $334.4 million contract that could rise to $783 million, cementing its role as the sole supplier of the Navy’s next‑gen electronic‑attack suite. The fleet gains GaN‑based wideband EW that can counter missile threats, while carriers will need a new ‘Quadrant’ hardware layout and integration with SSDS MK 2.
