Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business (NYSE: RTX), has been awarded a $171.6 million contract for Low-Rate Initial Production Lot I, or LRIP I, of the U.S. Navy's Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band. The award advances the program from the development stage into production and deployment.

NGJ-MB is the Navy's advanced electronic attack system that offensively denies, disrupts and degrades enemy technology, including air-defense systems and communications. NGJ-MB uses the latest digital, software-based and Active Electronically Scanned Array technologies. This allows operators to non-kinetically attack significantly more targets and at greater distances.

"With its power and ability to jam multiple radars simultaneously, NGJ-MB will fundamentally change the way the Navy conducts airborne electronic attack," said Annabel Flores, vice president of Electronic Warfare Systems for RI&S. "NGJ-MB will increase the survivability and lethality of fourth-and fifth-generation fighters, making naval aviation that much more effective."

The award follows last week's Milestone C decision, advancing the program into the production and deployment phase. NGJ-MB has completed more than 145 hours of developmental flight-testing using mission systems and aeromechanical systems. The program has also completed over 3,100 hours of anechoic chamber and lab testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, and Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Chamber tests evaluated the system's performance both on and off the EA-18G Growler aircraft, in addition to jamming techniques and reliability testing.