GEAR | UK MOD to invest £100 million for Royal Navy’s expanded electronic warfare capability

The UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) has awarded a £100 million (US$134.9 million) contract to a Babcock-led partnership with Elbit Systems UK and QinetiQ to deliver advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems to the Royal Navy.

The EW technology will allow more simultaneous detection and identification of radio signals over a greater frequency range than current capabilities. This will aid faster operational decision-making, enhanced situational awareness, and anti-ship missile defence capability.

The technology will be delivered over a span of 13 years as stipulated in the contract.

The MOD said this is the first phase of a £500 million (US$674.5 million) Maritime Electronics Warfare Programme (MEWP) to expand the EW capabilities of the navy’s Type 45, 26 and 31 frigates as well as the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

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