March 3 (UPI) — BAE Systems was awarded a $58 million contract from Boeing to start low rate initial production of the F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System for the U.S. Air Force.
“The start of EPAWSS production marks a critical milestone and is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our industry team,” said Jerry Wohletz, BAE’s VP/GM of Electronic Combat Solutions, in a press statement. “Our technology is cutting-edge, our factories are world-class, and our people are innovative and mission-focused.”
The all-digital system EPAWSS enables pilots to monitor, jam and deceive threats in contested airspace and combines multispectral sensors and countermeasures, industry-leading signal processing, microelectronics, and intelligent algorithms to deliver fully integrated radar warning, situational awareness, geolocation and self-protection capabilities.
The beginning of LRIP follows a series of flight tests, ground tests and intensive technology demonstrations, according to BAE, and the contractor is delivering incremental software updates during the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase.
As a result, system performance continues to improve in ground/flight test and dense signal environments.
“I’m proud of the overall team for their incredible effort on this program,” said F-15 EPAWSS program manager Lt Col Dan Carroll. “The LRIP milestone is the culmination of years of hard work by a lot of great people within the government and our Boeing and BAE Systems industry partners. EPAWSS will significantly improve the survivability and utility of the F-15, and will be a great complement to what is already a very capable and lethal aircraft.”
At the end of December Boeing was awarded a $189.3 million contract modification for repairs and support equipment of the EPAWSS.
