The US Navy has awarded ELTA North America an $11 million contract to develop and manufacture advanced airborne communications jammers for fighter aircraft under its Stand-Off Jammer (SOJ) Jets program.
Under the agreement, ELTA will design, build, and produce high-frequency and ultra-high-frequency stand-off jamming systems intended to disrupt adversary communications and improve aircraft survivability in contested electromagnetic environments.
The systems will be integrated onto Navy aircraft as part of the wider SOJ Jets initiative, highlighting the service’s increasing focus on enhancing airborne electronic warfare capabilities.
ELTA’s effort will concentrate on communications bands that remain heavily used in military operations, even as electronic attack technologies targeting radar and higher-frequency signals continue to advance.
The SOJ Jets program is aimed at strengthening electronic attack support for carrier strike groups, expeditionary units, and joint force operations. Stand-off jamming enables aircraft to interfere with enemy communications and sensors from extended ranges, allowing the jamming platform to remain outside the immediate threat area.
This initiative aligns with the Navy’s broader push to modernize electronic warfare, including the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) program, which is replacing legacy systems such as the AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System.
In December 2024, the Navy declared initial operational capability for the NGJ Mid-Band system deployed on EA-18G Growler aircraft, delivering significantly improved jamming power and flexibility over earlier equipment.
Complementing these efforts, Textron’s Airborne Tactical Advantage Company secured a contract in November 2025 valued at up to $200 million to provide stand-off jamming jet services through 2030 using modified business jets to support fleet training and electronic warfare assessment.
