Exelis has partnered with L-3 Platform Integration to develop advanced electronic self-protection capabilities for the US Air Force Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC) AC/MC-130J Commando II tanker aircraft.
The team will leverage their combined experience in electronic warfare (EW) and platform integration and will develop an advanced and low-risk solution to protect AFSOC aviators from the evolving radio frequency threats they encounter during combat missions worldwide.
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Exelis integrated electronic warfare systems business vice-president and general manager Mitch Friedman said: "Our two companies have worked together on EW technology programmes for special-mission aircraft since the 1990s.
"Our experience and shared history in this field will produce a system more than capable of addressing customer needs and enabling mission success in a changing EW environment."
L-3 Platform Integration president Michael Wright said: "The combination of L-3’s C-130 domain knowledge and the latest Exelis EW technology will deliver mission-enabling capabilities quickly and with low risk."
Exelis is a recognised leader in the development of EW self-protection systems for large aircraft. It already supplies EW solutions for a range of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) platforms.
L-3 has a more than 50 years of expertise as a C-130 systems integrator, with vast knowledge and experience working on the platform and integrating a wide variety of technologies, including EW systems, for a range of customers.
Development of the system is scheduled to be carried out at the Exelis facility in Clifton, New Jersey, and at L-3’s site in Waco, Texas, US.
The MC-130J Commando II is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It is an improved variant of the C-130J aircraft, and can be deployed worldwide for missions requiring clandestine, single ship / formation, low-level in-flight refuelling for helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft of the US Special Operation Forces.
In particular, the aircraft supports infiltration / exfiltration and resupply missions, and can also perform air drops and landings on remote airfields.
Image: Exelis has collaborated with L-3 Platform Integration to develop EW solutions for the US Air Force’s AC/MC-130J Commando II aircraft. Photo: courtesy of Exelis.
