Hanwha Aerospace and GA-ASI join forces to co-develop UAVs
The $510 million partnership will see Hanwha invest to co-develop and manufacture the Gray Eagle STOL, with a maiden flight test expected by 2027.
An EA-18G Growler from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 conducts a Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band flight test. (Photo: USN/Steve Wolff)
The Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) programme for the USN has passed Milestone C tests, manufacturer Raytheon announced on 29 June.
This decision paves the way for NGJ-MB to enter the production and deployment phase and proceed with LRIP.
The USN and Royal Australian Air Force are each adopting NGJ-MB for their EA-18G Growler EW aircraft, to replace legacy ALQ-99 systems.
‘The Milestone C decision drives home the stability and maturity of NGJ-MB,’ said Annabel Flores, VP of electronic warfare systems at Raytheon Intelligence & Space.
She added: ‘The system is ready for validation and LRIP, and we’re gearing up for the delivery of this critical capability to the fleet.’
To date, NGJ-MB has successfully completed more than 145h of developmental flight testing using mission systems and aeromechanical pods.
NGJ-MB has also completed more than 3,100h of anechoic chamber and laboratory tests to evaluate its performance both on and off the EA-18G Growler aircraft, in addition to jamming techniques and reliability testing.
A total of 28 NGJ-MB pods will be delivered in the engineering, manufacturing and development phase, Shephard Defence Insight reports.
The $510 million partnership will see Hanwha invest to co-develop and manufacture the Gray Eagle STOL, with a maiden flight test expected by 2027.
The country was reportedly “months” away from an official aircraft selection, as of mid-March 2025.
The ongoing study was first announced by Embraer in late 2024 with the Brazilian Air Force, with this latest addition announced during the LAAD defence and security exhibition.
The potential sale, approved by the US to the Philippines, is for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, days after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth visited the country.
The acquisition of four C-390 aircraft follows the country’s signing of an MoU in 2023 and formal selection in 2024. It will join the existing contract held by the Netherlands and Austria.
The counter-UAS prototype, named Low-cost Air Defence or ‘LOAD’, will be used to combat kamikaze UAS.