To keep up with developments in roadside bombs, the Pentagon is buying new versions of venerable jamming systems such as the JCREW, or Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare.
In February, the U.S. Navy placed a $42.7 million order with Northrop Grumman, one of JCREW’s major contractors, for engineering and sustainment support of the systems for U.S. forces and the government of Australia under the Foreign Military Sales program. Contract options could bump the contract’s value to $123.2 million.
Two years earlier, Northrop Grumman received a $329 million JCREW production contract, including operational-level and depot-level spares. An FMS component included $116.4 million for Australian procurement.
Most of JCREWs ordered for the next several years are meant to protect vehicles and dismounted troops. But several contractors make versions tailored to specific applications, including mounted, dismounted, and fixed sites such as compounds, airfields, buildings, and guard posts.
Research and development to keep the systems current and adequately distributed is also ongoing. According to the Navy, the newest version, JCREW Increment 1 Block 1 (I1B1), supports global deployment and sustainment for all combatant commands.
In July 2023, the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants announced that JCREW I1B1 program had achieved full operational capability.
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