The US Navy has awarded ELTA North America an $11 million contract to develop and manufacture advanced airborne communications jammers for integration into fighter aircraft under the service’s Stand-off Jammer (SOJ) Jets program. The award highlights the navy’s continued focus on strengthening electronic warfare (EW) capabilities in increasingly contested environments.
Under the contract, ELTA will design, develop, and fabricate high-frequency (HF) and ultra-high-frequency (UHF) stand-off jamming systems intended to disrupt adversary communications while allowing friendly aircraft to operate from safer distances. These systems are designed to enhance aircraft survivability by degrading enemy command-and-control networks without requiring jamming platforms to enter high-threat zones.
The SOJ Jets initiative forms part of a broader effort to bolster airborne electronic attack capabilities supporting carrier strike groups, expeditionary forces, and joint operations. Unlike close-in jamming, stand-off jamming enables aircraft to interfere with hostile communications and sensors from outside the immediate engagement envelope, reducing operational risk.
ELTA’s work will focus on handheld and tactical communications bands, which remain essential to enemy forces even as radar-focused jamming technologies advance. The effort aligns with parallel US Navy programs such as the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ), which reached initial operational capability in December 2024 with the Mid-Band system aboard EA-18G Growler aircraft. The navy has also expanded SOJ training and evaluation activities, including a 2025 contract of up to $200 million awarded to Textron’s Airborne Tactical Advantage Company for stand-off jamming jet services through 2030.
