The undefinitized, cost-plus-incentive-fee modification extends development through fiscal 2031, adds test pods, cybersecurity and sustainment work, and includes $23 million in cooperative funding from the Royal Australian Air Force.
The modification adds non-recurring tooling and equipment, system demonstration test article pods, cybersecurity and system security development, plus product, logistics, test and software support.
Major locations performing the work include Salt Lake City (43% of work) and multiple sites across the U.S. and Australia.
War announced an $876.4 million undefinitized modification to L3Harris' contract for the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB). The contract uses a cost-plus-incentive-fee structure and covers development activities through fiscal 2031.
The modification expands the existing contract scope to include:
The award specifically funds the development and demonstration elements required to mature NGJ-LB toward operational use.
At award, fiscal 2026 Navy research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds provided $3.7 million. The Royal Australian Air Force contributed $23 million in cooperative funds at the time of award. The modification was awarded without competition and identifies Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Maryland as the contracting activity.
Program context: what NGJ-LB is and where it fits
NGJ-LB is the low-frequency segment of the Navy's Next Generation Jammer program. The system is a software-based electronic attack capability intended to replace the ALQ-99 jamming pods operating aboard the EA-18G Growler. The overall NGJ program is split into three pods addressing different portions of the electromagnetic spectrum: low, mid and high bands. Raytheon previously won the mid-band segment in 2016. The high-band segment has lacked funding since at least fiscal 2020.
NGJ-LB targets air and ground threats in the low-frequency spectrum. The low-band effort had been scheduled to reach early operational capability in 2029 prior to this modification's award.
Program history and recent contract activity
L3Harris previously won the underlying engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract in August 2024 for about $587 million. That EMD award covered design, production and delivery of test articles and fleet prototypes, including pod simulators, operational prototype pods and other test and mission-system assets.
Why this matters for the Growler fleet
This modification advances NGJ-LB development and adds dedicated test and cybersecurity efforts that the Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force will use to move the capability toward operational status on the EA-18G Growler. The work supports continued maturation of hardware, software and security elements required for fielding low-band electronic attack capability.
The modification is undefinitized and work is scheduled to continue through fiscal 2031. Further contract actions could define final costs and performance milestones as development progresses.
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