1989年9月后期,签订了一系列未料到的电子战合同,在一场于1988年3月开始的竞争中,空军选中了雷声公司的ALQ-184作为中选干扰机,另一个投标厂商是西屋公司,它们提供的干扰吊舱是在欧洲广泛使用的一种系统,即ALQ-131(BLock 2)。在签定合同之前,政界、企业界和新闻界的大多数权威人士都以为,空军将把合同分别授予这两家公司,以便在计划的五年采购期间内保持着 In late September 1989, a series of unforeseen electronic warfare contracts were signed. In a competition that began in March 1988, the Air Force selected Raytheon’s ALQ-184 as a successful jamming machine and another bidder Is Westinghouse, and they provide interference pods that are a widely used system in Europe, the ALQ-131 (BLock 2). Before signing the contract, most authorities in politics, business and the press thought that the Air Force would award the contracts to both companies in order to maintain the planned five-year procurement period