Northrop Grumman will build electronic warfare systems at its Beaverton facility under a $46.1 million U.S. Navy contract expected to run through December 2028.

The firm-fixed-price contract modification, reported by Military & Aerospace Electronics, funds production of JCREW Increment One Block One systems, retrofit kits and spare parts. JCREW (Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare) detects and defeats radio-controlled bombs targeting troops. The system operates in mounted, dismounted and fixed-site configurations using common hardware and software across variants.

Work will be split between Beaverton and San Diego, though the contract does not specify how many jobs or what share of the $46 million flows to each site.

The award is significant. It includes $15.9 million in Foreign Military Sales funding for Australia and $4.2 million for engineering support services. Additional funding comes from Navy and Air Force procurement accounts and Navy research and development budgets. The contracting activity is the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maritime in Washington, D.C.

JCREW achieved full operational capability in July 2023, ahead of schedule, and is used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Australia and New Zealand. The system has been protecting service members since 2017, according to Northrop Grumman's program page.

The contract is a modification to a previously awarded agreement. In September 2024, Northrop Grumman announced a separate, related JCREW/DRAKE 2.0 follow-on production contract valued at over $161 million for next-generation systems with expanded signal processing and frequency range. Gordie Russell, vice president of communications solutions at Northrop Grumman, said in a September 2024 press release announcing that deal that the JCREW/DRAKE architecture "continues to prove itself as a critical component in protecting our warfighters."

The DRAKE variant, which adds counter-drone capability to the JCREW family, became its own Navy program of record in April 2024. The August 2026 contract specifically covers the I1B1 counter-bomb systems rather than the newer DRAKE line.

Northrop Grumman employs roughly 95,000 people globally. The company has not disclosed how many work at its Beaverton site or what roles the facility fills on this contract. Work is expected to wrap up by December 2028.