L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a five-year contract by the U.S. Air Force for sustainment of the B-1B Bomber’s Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) system which helps to protect the aircraft against evolving electronic threats worldwide. This contract will see L3Harris continue to sustain the AN/ALQ-161A system to meet the future strategic airpower needs of the Air Force through the aircraft’s projected retirement in 2040.
L3Harris will provide AN/ALQ-161A repair support to the Air Force as part of the contract. The unit is an integrated radio frequency ECM system designed specifically for the B-1B. It detects and counters radar-based weapon systems and also provides a tail warning function to detect and counter incoming missiles from behind the aircraft. The system sorts threats by priority and reacts against them automatically while allowing for “man-in-the-loop” intervention.
The combat-proven and versatile AN/ALQ-161A has been the ECM solution for the B-1B since the 1980s and has helped to protect its aircrews against evolving electronic threats since the Cold War.
The company has delivered electronic warfare solutions for a wide variety of airborne platforms for more than 60 years. The company’s airborne EW systems support and enable missions for strategic bombers, tactical fighters and rotary aircraft by helping aviators to detect, avoid, and where necessary, defeat electronic threats at every level of engagement.
L3Harris’ Space and Airborne Systems segment provides space payloads, sensors and full-mission solutions; classified intelligence and cyber defense; avionics; and electronic warfare solutions.
