BAE Systems Selected by U.S. Navy to Develop Radio Frequency Countermeasure

The U.S. Navy has chosen BAE Systems to develop the Dual Band Decoy (DBD), a radio frequency (RF) self-protection jammer designed to shield fighter jets from enemy attacks.

The DBD is an enhancement of BAE Systems’ AN/ALE-55 Fiber-Optic Towed Decoy, featuring a towed unit linked via fiber-optic cable to the aircraft's electronic warfare systems.

DBD employs jamming technology to disrupt enemy radar and mislead incoming missiles. This system can be deployed by the pilot or triggered automatically in response to threats, providing essential protection in high-risk environments.

The DBD uses custom integrated circuits to achieve higher performance with reduced size, weight, and power requirements. It forms a key component of BAE Systems’ Intrepid Shield strategy, which aims to create a defensive perimeter using the electromagnetic spectrum to detect, exploit, and counter advanced threats.

The initial deployment of DBD will be on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Development and production will take place at BAE Systems’ facilities in Nashua, N.H.