US Air Force F-35A jets will be fitted with the BriteCloud decoy to protect against hostile missiles. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
Leonardo's UK-based electronic warfare (EW) business is set to supply active expendable radio frequency (RF) decoys to enhance the self-protection capability of US-operated F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters.
In an 18 July solicitation notice issued ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow running from 22 to 26 July, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) said it was planning the sole-source procurement of up to 2,000 Active Expendable Decoys (AEDs) per year for fiscal year (FY) 2025 through FY 2027. Leonardo – manufacturer of the BriteCloud AED – was explicitly identified as the only contractor with the manufacturing technology, infrastructure, capacity, and platform qualifications to meet the requirement.
Dispensed from standard chaff/flare launchers, AEDs are small, self-contained, expendable jammers that function as a ‘break lock' countermeasure to defeat RF-guided anti-air missiles in the terminal phase of an engagement. They function independently of the aircraft to provide an additional RF countermeasure capability.
NAVAIR – which contracts on behalf of the F-35 Joint Program Office – in early June 2024 released a sources sought notice detailing plans for the fast-track, single-source procurement of an AED for the F-35 platform. This outlined requirements for a mission load-programmable AED with a 2×1×8 inch form factor that has previously demonstrated RF countermeasures performance at Technology Readiness Level 9 (defined as an actual system proven through successful mission operations). It has also mandated that the AED “must be qualified for use on F-35 and ready for immediate production”.
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