BAE wins F-35 electronic warfare order for Lots 20-22

BAE Systems will build electronic warfare systems for three more production lots of the F-35 Lightning II under a new contract from Lockheed Martin, the company said on Oct. 6.

The contract covers AN/ASQ-239 systems for F-35 Lots 20 through 22, along with systems to retrofit and modernize older aircraft already in service. BAE Systems did not disclose the value of the contract or how many systems it will deliver.

The AN/ASQ-239, the F-35’s built-in electronic warfare suite, listens for radar and other signals around the aircraft, identifies threats and warns the pilot, and supports both self-protection and offensive electronic attack. BAE Systems says the system’s passive, long-range sensing lets pilots detect threats without giving away their own position, and that it is designed to help the jet operate against enemy fighters, missiles, drones and modern integrated air defense networks.

According to BAE Systems, much of that capability is software-based, so operators can update the system quickly to respond to new threats without waiting for hardware changes.

“We’ve been a trusted contributor since the origin of the Joint Strike Fighter program, and we’ve continuously evolved our EW hardware and software to maintain our warfighters’ decisive battlespace advantage,” said Amber Dolan, vice president of F-35 Solutions at BAE Systems. “We’re laser-focused on scaling production and delivering software-based capabilities to meet the rapid pace of conflict.”

BAE Systems, which has supplied the electronic warfare suite for every F-35 built, says it has now delivered more than 1,500 systems, up from the roughly 800 it had delivered in 2021, when it received its Lot 16 order. The systems are designed and built at BAE Systems facilities in Nashua, Manchester and Merrimack in New Hampshire, and in Austin, Texas.

To keep up with F-35 production, the company said it is using more automation, newer system designs and a broader supply chain, and has invested in its facilities to build and support more systems faster.

The new order follows years of work on an upgraded version of the suite. In December 2021, Lockheed Martin awarded BAE Systems a $493 million contract modification to develop new core hardware for the AN/ASQ-239 as part of the F-35’s Block 4 modernization, which is meant to improve the jet’s ability to detect hard-to-see threats and handle more threats at once.

The F-35 is flown by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, as well as a growing list of allied air forces, and BAE Systems said the contract supports the global F-35 fleet.