The U.S. Army’s drone-borne electronic warfare system has undergone a series of extensive testing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in preparation for its integration onto an MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system.
The Multi-Function Electronic Warfare – Air Large capability is part of the Army’s broader offensive EW capability set and uses a modular open-system approach to enable the integration of technologies in the future to address emerging threats, the service branch said Monday.
MFEW-AL is an airborne electronic warfare payload designed to deliver electronic attack and EW support capability to the warfighter and enhance situational awareness by providing a common operating picture of the operating environment.
“Our ongoing commitment to fulfilling warfighters’ needs in the battlespace drives all aspects of the efforts around MFEW-AL. What was especially critical about the past couple of months is that we were able to produce successful operational flight performance,” said Michael Acriche, the Army’s product lead for electronic attack.
Lockheed Martin oversees the development of MFEW-AL, which the Army plans to formally integrate onto an MQ-1C drone to obtain airworthiness certification in fiscal year 24.
