DARPA Selects Exelis, Leidos For Second Phase Of Radar Counter Measures Program

Exelis and Leidos have been selected to continue to evolve advanced technology development for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Adaptive Radar Countermeasures (ARC) program, Exelis said in a statement Today.

The five-year subcontract from Leidos could be worth up to $15.6 million if all options are exercised. During this second phase of the program, Exelis will demonstrate the Leidos software-based algorithms with Exelis electronic warfare (EW) hardware in the loop test environment, showcasing an enhanced capability to electronically defend against emerging radar threats.

The ARC program will enable US airborne EW systems to detect and adaptively counter radar systems whose waveforms and behaviors are new, unknown or ambiguous.

"The work we're doing in partnership with Leidos and DARPA is laying important groundwork to ensure our warfighters can anticipate and outpace the agile radio frequency threats of the future," Mitch Friedman, vice president and general manager of the Exelis integrated electronic warfare systems business said.

The ARC program consists of two major elements: the Leidos-led development of new software processing techniques and their implementation, managed by Exelis, with a prototype module within a full rate production system. This process is expected to lead to a new, adaptive EW protection system for airborne platforms within the next five years.