Front view of a US Navy EA-18G Growler of VAQ-138 carrying two Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band pods under its wings at Eielson Air Force Base

Next Generation Jammer: Navy Switches Lot 5 to Mid-Band Extended

by Max Grünwald | Nov 15, 2026 | Aviazione militare, Notizia | 0 comments

The US Navy has changed its mind about what the next batch of Growler jamming pods should be. On Friday 13 November 2026, the Pentagon’s daily contract announcement listed a $42,121,481 modification for Raytheon that converts low-rate initial production Lot Five of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) to the newer “mid-band extended” configuration.

The number of pods does not change. What changes is what is inside them. Lot Five was ordered in May 2025 as standard Mid-Band shipsets; under the new modification, the same lot will be built to the extended standard instead, the version designed to reach further and cover more of the threat spectrum.

Informazioni rapide

Annunciato: Friday 13 November 2026, US Department of War contracts
Contractor: Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California
Valore: $42,121,481 modification (P00010) to contract N0001925C0104
Che cosa: Converts Lot Five of NGJ-MB low-rate initial production to the mid-band extended configuration
Quantity: Unchanged; no increase to Lot Five
Main work sites: McKinney, Texas (65.7%) and Forest, Mississippi (20.4%)
Completamento: Expected May 2029
Aeromobili: EA-18G Growler

What the contract says

The announcement is precise. The modification, P00010 to contract N0001925C0104, is a mix of fixed-price-incentive and cost-plus-fixed-fee work and covers manufacture, integration, test, delivery, spares, non-recurring engineering, logistics support and technical data. In the contract’s own words, it “converts the existing production requirement to the mid-band extended configuration without increasing the existing Lot Five quantity.”

Most of the work, 65.7 per cent, will be done in McKinney, Texas, with 20.4 per cent in Forest, Mississippi, 13.4 per cent in El Segundo, California, and 0.5 per cent in Andover, Massachusetts. It is due to be finished in May 2029. The contract was not competed, and Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

A flight deck officer signals a US Navy EA-18G Growler of VAQ-133 carrying underwing pods on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln — An EA-18G Growler of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 on the flight deck of USS *Abraham Lincoln* in the Philippine Sea, 6 December 2024. Lot Five pods will be built to the mid-band extended standard for jets like this one. Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Apprentice Shepard Fosdyke Jackson / Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The money comes from three pots: about $5.25 million of fiscal 2027 Navy aircraft procurement funds, $28.8 million of fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement funds and $8.05 million from the Navy’s foreign cooperative projects line, all obligated at the time of award. The Next Generation Jammer is a cooperative programme with the Aeronautica militare reale australiana, which flies the Growler too.

From Mid-Band to Mid-Band Extended

The Next Generation Jammer is the replacement for the AN/ALQ-99, the jamming pod the Navy has flown since 1972 on aircraft from the EA-6B Prowler to today’s EA-18G Growler. The programme was split into three pods by frequency: Low-Band, Mid-Band and High-Band. Raytheon builds the Mid-Band pod, designated AN/ALQ-249, which reportedly covers roughly 2 to 6 GHz.

The extended version, NGJ-MBX, grew out of a gap. According to DefenseScoop, the Navy started a change to the Mid-Band programme in 2023 to develop a pod with increased range that would also cover specific gaps in the upper frequencies, as the quickest answer to near-term threats while the High-Band pod remained unfunded. Raytheon received a $192 million engineering and manufacturing development contract for MBX in September 2024.

“With this upgrade, we’ll ensure our naval aviators in all theaters are better prepared to counter new adversary threats and provide greater combat power throughout their missions.”

Barbara Borgonovi — President of Naval Power at Raytheon, on the MBX development contract (via DefenseScoop, October 2024)

At the time, a Raytheon spokesperson told DefenseScoop that the upgraded MBX arrays would be built into new production pods and also retrofitted to Mid-Band systems already in service. Moving Lot Five onto the extended standard now means those pods should leave the factory with the upgrade, rather than needing it later.

Naval News looks at RTX’s Next Generation Jammer at the Sea Air Space 2026 exhibition.

Where it fits in the Growler’s jamming suite

The Mid-Band pod is not the Growler’s only new jammer. L3Harris is building the Low-Band pod, and Afterburner covered its $876 million follow-on award in September. Until a High-Band pod exists, the new pods fly alongside legacy ALQ-99 equipment, which is why stretching the Mid-Band upwards matters.

Production of the Mid-Band pod has been running for some time. Raytheon won a $590 million follow-on production contract in December 2024 and about $580 million for Lot Five shipsets in May 2025. The modification announced on 13 November does not add to that order; it upgrades what the Navy has already bought.

For the Growler crews, the practical result is simple. The next pods to arrive will be the extended version from the start, with more reach and wider frequency coverage than the Mid-Band pods now on the squadrons’ jets.

Sources: US Department of War contract announcements (13 November 2026), DefenseScoop, The Defence Blog, GovCon Wire, Raytheon

Header photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan Giraldo / Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Domande frequenti

What did the Navy change in the Next Generation Jammer contract on 13 November 2026?

On 13 November 2026 the Pentagon announced a $42,121,481 modification for Raytheon that converts low-rate initial production Lot Five of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band to the mid-band extended configuration. The change does not increase the number of pods in Lot Five; it upgrades the version being built.

What is the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band Extended?

The Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band Extended, or NGJ-MBX, is an upgraded version of the AN/ALQ-249 Mid-Band jamming pod for the EA-18G Growler. The Navy started it in 2023 to give the pod increased range and to cover specific gaps in the upper frequencies while the separate High-Band pod remained unfunded.

Who builds the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band pod?

Raytheon, an RTX company, builds the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band pod. Under the November 2026 modification, most of the Lot Five work will be done in McKinney, Texas, with further work in Forest, Mississippi, El Segundo, California, and Andover, Massachusetts. Completion is expected in May 2029.

What does the Next Generation Jammer replace on the EA-18G Growler?

The Next Generation Jammer replaces the AN/ALQ-99, the US Navy’s jamming pod in service since 1972. The programme is split by frequency into Low-Band, Mid-Band and High-Band pods. L3Harris is building the Low-Band pod and Raytheon the Mid-Band pod, while the High-Band pod remained unfunded.

When was Lot Five of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band ordered?

Raytheon received a contract worth about $580 million for Lot Five shipsets of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band in May 2025. The $42.1 million modification announced on 13 November 2026 converts that same lot to the mid-band extended configuration without adding pods.

Does Australia use the Next Generation Jammer?

Yes. The Next Generation Jammer is a cooperative programme between the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, which also flies the EA-18G Growler. Part of the November 2026 modification is funded from the Navy’s foreign cooperative projects budget line.