The U.S. Navy and BAE Systems received a Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Award for improving the performance of a radar and communications jammer, the company said. The award recognizes a Navy-BAE Systems team for establishing a program to reduce life-cycle costs and improve operational availability of the AN/ALQ-99 Band 9/10 transmitter. The ALQ-99 is a radar jammer that protects strike aircraft and ships by disrupting enemy radar signals. It is one of the transmitters used in the U.S. Navy’s current ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System, deployed on Navy and Marine Corps EA-6B aircraft. Thirty-three awards were presented in five categories: program/project, individual, team, organization, and contractor. The Navy-BAE Systems award was in the program/project category. “The value engineering program is a highly visible acknowledgment of exemplary achievements and encourages additional projects to improve in-house and contractor productivity,” said Captain Steve Kochman, U.S. Navy program manager for the EA-6B/AEA.