AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite

The SLQ-32 was originally conceived in the 1970s to augment the AN/WLR-1, which had been in service since the early 1960s. It was later determined to save costs to replace the various WLR-1 series suites with the SLQ-32 as a stand-alone system. As originally designed, the SLQ-32 was produced in three variants, the (V)1, (V)2 and (V)3. Later in its service life, additional versions were built, the (V)4 and (V)5. Today, (V)6 and (V)7 versions are in production. The Air Transport Rack sized processors were supplied by ROLM Mil-Spec Computers in San Jose, California. • AN/SLQ-32(V)1 – A simple threat warning receiver. It was capable of receiving low frequency, high-band radar signals of the type commonly emitted by anti-ship missile terminal guidance radars and long-range surveillance radars. The (V)1 was installed on auxiliary ships and small combatants like frigates. This variant of the system was phased out as equipped ships became decommissioned. • AN/SLQ-32(V)2 – Initially the most common variant, the (V)2 expanded on the (V)1's capabilities with new receiving antennas for increased radio frequency coverage. It added the ability to detect high frequency targeting and fire-control radars, providing early warning against an imminent anti-ship missile attack. • AN/SLQ-32(V)4 – Designed for installation on aircraft carriers, USS Pinckney (DDG-91) is the first U.S. Navy surface combatant to receive the AN/SLQ-32(V)7 upgrade. and as of 2022, the latest U.S. destroyers are fitted with (V)6. In 2023, USS Pinckney became the first destroyer fitted with SEWIP Block 3. ==Contract==

, 1984. The initial procurement process was built around a “design to price” concept in which the final delivery cost per system was fixed in the contract. The SLQ-32 was designed to support the protection of ships against anti-ship missiles in an open sea environment. After initial deployment of the system, naval roles began to change requiring ships to operate much closer to shore in denser signal environments. This change in roles required changes to the SLQ-32 systems which were added over time. With experience gained working with the SLQ-32, coupled with improvements to the hardware and software, technicians and operators gradually overcame the initial problems. The SLQ-32 is now the mainstay of surface electronic warfare in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard's WMEC -class ships. ==Future==

In 1996, a program called the Advanced Integrated Electronic Warfare System (AIEWS) was begun to develop a replacement for the SLQ-32. Designated the AN/SLY-2, AIEWS reached the prototype stage by 1999, but funding was withdrawn in April 2002 due to ballooning costs and constant delays in the projects development. It has since been replaced with Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP), which will replace the existing SLQ-32 hardware and technology in an evolutionary fashion. , SEWIP Block 2 upgrades were first installed on s in 2014, with full-rate production scheduled for mid-2015. Block 2 improved detection capabilities; better jamming is planned from 2017, but the 2013 sequestration cuts may push this date back a year. As of November 2023, SLQ-32(V)7 (SEWIP Block 3) is undergoing low-rate initial production and being retrofitted on Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, replacing their existing SLQ-32 equipment. ==See also==