Every F-35 that rolls off Lockheed Martin's line in production Lots 20 through 22 will carry BAE Systems' Block 4 electronic warfare suite, and a share of older jets already in service will be pulled up to the same standard. BAE said on Oct. 6 that Lockheed had awarded it a contract to build AN/ASQ-239 systems for those three lots and to supply hardware to retrofit and modernize earlier aircraft, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. The award keeps the jet's self-protection and threat-detection system with the company that has supplied it since the program began.

BAE declined to say how much the contract is worth or how many systems it covers for new aircraft and retrofits. It is a prime-to-subcontractor award from Lockheed rather than a Pentagon contract announcement, so no government notice with a dollar figure has accompanied it. Airforce Technology likewise reported that financial terms "have not been disclosed."

What the AN/ASQ-239 Does on the F-35

The AN/ASQ-239 is the F-35's integrated electronic warfare suite. According to BAE's Oct. 6 release, reprinted in full by Defensehere, the system gives the fighter "discriminating defensive and offensive capabilities" that let it operate in airspace protected by "enemy fighters, missiles, drones and the latest integrated air defense systems."

The company describes passive, long-range sensing paired with high-speed signal processing and advanced algorithms, so pilots can detect threats and act on them before an adversary does. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that BAE credits the suite with giving pilots a 360-degree view of the battlefield. Operators can also update the system quickly with new software as threats change.

Under the contract, BAE "will manufacture and deliver EW systems for F-35 Lots 20-22 and provide systems to retrofit and modernize older aircraft," the release states. Some jets that currently fly with previous versions of the system will have the latest version installed, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Why Block 4 Followed the 2018 DTIP Upgrade

The Block 4 electronic warfare system belongs to a broader package of F-35 upgrades collectively referred to as Block 4. An earlier upgrade came first.

In 2018, BAE launched the Digital Channelized Receiver/Techniques Generator and Tuner Insertion Program, known as DTIP. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that DTIP condensed earlier versions of the EW hardware into a smaller footprint that drew less power, and that the reclaimed space made room for the Block 4 modernization now going into production jets.

Amber Dolan, BAE's vice president of F-35 solutions, framed the new award as the next chapter in a long run on the program. "BAE Systems has been the EW supplier for the F-35 program for the past 21 years, successfully designing and developing the Block 1, Block 2, and Block 3 configurations," she said in a follow-up statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine. "We are currently developing Block 4 systems that can accelerate the delivery of advanced EW capabilities via adaptable hardware and incremental software updates."

Dolan said the Block 4 systems on Lot 20 and later aircraft "offer improvements in threat detection, situational awareness, and capabilities to counter modern threats."

How This Order Follows the $493M and $491M Awards

The undisclosed value makes it hard to size this award against prior work, but the earlier contracts set a baseline. Lockheed awarded BAE a $493 million contract for F-35 EW systems in 2021 and a $491 million contract in 2023, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. Airforce Technology dated the $493 million award to December 2021 and described it as a contract to upgrade and modernize the jet's EW system.

BAE says it has delivered more than 1,500 EW systems for the F-35 to date. Those systems come from four sites: Austin, Texas, and the New Hampshire cities of Manchester, Merrimack and Nashua. Air & Space Forces Magazine noted that BAE opened a 200,000-square-foot engineering and production facility in Manchester in 2022 to help design and develop new EW systems.

The company's release emphasizes throughput. BAE said it is "using automation, the latest system designs and a robust supply chain to accelerate production," and that it has invested in its facilities "to create and sustain more systems at even greater speed."

"We’ve been a trusted contributor since the origin of the Joint Strike Fighter program, and we’ve continuously evolved our EW hardware and software to maintain our warfighters’ decisive battlespace advantage," Dolan said in the release. "We’re laser-focused on scaling production and delivering software-based capabilities to meet the rapid pace of conflict."

What It Means for Contractors

For firms in the F-35 supply chain, this award suggests the electronic warfare line will keep running at production scale for three more lots, plus a retrofit stream on top. Retrofit work tends to pull different demand than new-build production: kits, installation support and configuration management for aircraft that started life with older hardware. Suppliers of RF components, signal-processing boards, cabling and test equipment to BAE's Austin and New Hampshire sites may see continued orders as BAE pushes automation and supply-chain changes to raise output.

Because this is a subcontract, opportunities would flow through BAE's own purchasing rather than through SAM.gov solicitations. Small businesses that want in should pursue BAE's supplier channels directly and expect flow-down requirements on cybersecurity and export control, as is typical for work on military aircraft systems.

The software emphasis also matters. Both BAE statements stress software updates as the way the Block 4 suite keeps pace with threats. That points to sustained demand for engineers with EW algorithm, signal-processing and secure software-delivery experience, plus the clearances to work on them.

Finally, the undisclosed value is a reminder that prime-to-sub awards often never surface in federal contract data. Firms tracking F-35 spending should not rely on Pentagon announcements alone; company releases and trade-press coverage are often the only public record of awards at this tier.

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