Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Systems (PMA-234) former Program Manager Capt. Michael J. Orr was named Department of Navy 2021 Acquisition Category 1 Program Manager of the Year during the Acquisition Excellence Awards ceremony Nov. 4.

Presented by Frederick Stefany, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Orr was recognized for his superior leadership and program management leading the 1,100-member Navy, Marine Corps and Royal Australian Air Force AEA program office.  

Capt. David Rueter relieved Capt. Michael Orr to become the 19th program manager of the Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Systems Program Office (PMA-234), during a private change of command ceremony Aug. 5.

Rear Adm. Shane Gahagan, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs who presided over the ceremony, complimented Orr on the ability to navigate the program office during extreme environments.

The U.S. Marine Corps’ newest Intrepid Tiger II (IT II) Electronic Warfare (EW) capability flew for the first time on an MV-22B Osprey June 15.  

“The significance of this developmental test flight was two-fold,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Michael Orr, Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Systems (PMA-234) program manager. “Not only was this the first time we’ve integrated the Intrepid Tiger II capability onto an Osprey but also the first time the capability has been incorporated internal to a platform.”

The Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) program received Milestone C approval from Frederick J. Stefany, acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition on June 28.  This decision gives NGJ-MB the green light to enter the Production and Deployment phase and proceed with Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP).

The U.S. Navy awarded a $496 million Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract to L3Harris Technologies on Dec. 18 to further the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) capability.

The contract supports the final design efforts and manufacturing of eight operational prototype pods and four test pods that will be used for various levels of testing and fleet employment to include airworthiness, functionality, and integration with and carriage on the EA-18G Growler host aircraft.

The Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) program received approval to enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) acquisition phase Dec. 8.

The Honorable James Geurts, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, the NGJ-LB Milestone Decision Authority, assessed the NGJ-LB program is ready to proceed to the next acquisition phase.

U.S. Navy Sailors recently tested the validity of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) capability’s maintenance plans and technical manuals during a recent logistics demonstration at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland.

The Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) successfully completed its first mission systems flight with an EA-18G Growler at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, Aug. 7.

The. U.S. Department of Defense and Australian Department of Defence officially expanded their Next Generation Jammer cooperative partnership to increase joint capabilities in the future on July 13.

The two countries signed a Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) Project Arrangement (PA) to ensure commonality on future jamming variants. The jointly managed cooperative partnership gives both countries more benefits to include shared costs and risks.

The U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) program successfully completed test events at two Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, facilities simultaneously and with limited staffing while remaining on schedule despite significant COVID-19 restrictions.

Airborne Electronic Attack Systems Program Office (PMA-234) NGJ-LB team was ready to begin its final Demonstration of Existing Technologies (DET) testing when COVID-19 restrictions were put into place.