ITT Exelis has been awarded a contract valued at more than $125 million by Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, to deliver the latest variant of the AN/ALQ-214 airborne jammer.

The AN/ALQ-214 is a subsystem of the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) suite. Under this contract, Exelis will engage in the second full-rate production lot of the new AN/ALQ-214 (V)4/5 system.

The AN/ALQ-214(V)4/5 combines sensitive digital receivers and active countermeasures to protect aircraft from radio frequency (RF) threats such as air defense radars and guided missiles. The new variant of the ALQ-214 system will be used on both the Department of the Navy F/A-18 C/D Hornet and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft. The previous variant is utilized on the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft only.

“The enhanced ALQ-214 ensures warfighters are equipped with the most advanced electronic self-protection system,” said Joe Rambala, Vice President and General Manager of the Exelis Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems business.

“Our new system is not only designed to address current and future RF threats, but it also extends this level of protection to additional platforms, allowing more pilots to complete their missions safely,” he added.

Deployed with the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, existing legacy AN/ALQ-214 IDECM systems will continue to provide detect-and-defeat protection against RF threats well into the future.

Exelis will produce the AN/ALQ-214(V)4/5 at its facility in Clifton, New Jersey, with system deliveries under this contract planned through 2015.