BAE Systems was awarded a more than $20 million contract to develop a new electronic warfare system for Air Force Special Operations Command’s fleet of C-130J aircraft, according to a Jan. 4 company release. The Radio Frequency Countermeasure (RFCM) system is a “platform-level solution” that can be integrated on AC-130J Ghostrider gunships and MC-130J Commando IIs, “increasing the aircraft’s ability to detect and defeat both surface and airborne threats in signal-dense and highly contested environments,” states the release. The contract award is the first phase of a multi-phase plan to upgrade the C-130J system survivability. “This award is a significant milestone as it not only builds on our strong electronic warfare legacy, but also extends our proven electronic warfare capability to a large platform aircraft,” said Brian Walters, vice president and general manager of the company’s Electronic Combat Solutions. “Our all-digital RFCM system will ensure the mission-critical C-130J fleet remains capable and protected in the harshest environments.”
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.