Lockheed Martin, ranked first among global defense contractors, recently announced that it has successfully defeated its competitor General Dynamics Mission Systems and won a key contract from the US Army. The core task of this contract is to develop long-range electronic warfare, signal intelligence and network signal jammer systems for the Army, which are regarded as key tools for implementing the "deep perception" strategy.
Under the terms of the contract, Lockheed will invest nearly $37 million to develop a prototype of the Land Base System-Brigade and Above Echelon (TLS-EAB) at its facility in Syracuse, New York. It is worth noting that both Lockheed and General Dynamics participated in preliminary design and software demonstration before the contract announcement.
The importance of deep perception strategy
The development of the TLS-EAB signal jammer system is designed to meet the Army's needs for deep perception capabilities. This means that future Army forces will be able to identify, monitor and strike enemy targets from a farther and safer distance, especially when facing technologically advanced armies such as China and Russia. This capability is particularly important.
Deon Viergutz, vice president of spectrum convergence at Lockheed, emphasized in a statement that the series concept of the TLS-EAB long-range jammer system is a proven model that can quickly, cost-effectively and low-risk develop integrated network and electronic warfare technologies and ensure that these technologies are delivered to warfighters in a timely manner.
Lockheed is also improving the US's electronic warfare capabilities through other methods:
| Research and development of related projects | In addition to TLS-EAB signal blocker system, Lockheed is also developing a smaller sister project that focuses on tactical applications, the Land Layer System-Brigade Combat Team (TLS-BCT). In addition, the company is also developing an airborne signal jammer blocker called Multi-Function Electronic Warfare-Air Large (MFEW-AL). The mutual complementation of these projects will help enhance the US Army's electronic warfare capabilities. |
| Verguts noted that the next step in TLS-EAB signal jammer system prototyping will focus on obtaining feedback from soldiers and building an open digital infrastructure to ensure that the system can be flexibly customized according to specific mission requirements. Army officials also revealed that the Army is "improving" the procurement method of TLS-EAB, with a particular emphasis on improving the flexibility of the system to adapt to the changing battlefield environment. | |
| Construction of customized solutions | Mark Kitz, executive officer of intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors, said that the Army is building customized solutions for upcoming operations. He pointed out that these solutions will be repeatedly iterated and optimized based on different combat environments to meet various competitive needs. For example, the situation in the Indo-Pacific Command is very different from that in Africa, so a single solution cannot be relied on to cope with diverse combat scenarios. |
| Kitz emphasized that the Army needs to build a set of specific solutions for different geographical and tactical environments to cope with various challenges that may arise in the future. As technology develops and the enemy situation changes, flexible adaptability will be the key to ensuring combat success. |
Lockheed Martin has demonstrated its technological advantages and market leadership in the field of electronic warfare while winning the Army's long-range jammer contract. By developing TLS-EAB and related systems, Lockheed not only provides strong electronic warfare support for the US Army, but also prepares for the complex combat environment that may be faced in the future. As the project progresses and soldier feedback is incorporated, the signal jammer system is expected to play an important role in improving the combat capability and flexibility of the U.S. military.
