were too small to carry a full (V)3. AN/SLQ-32(V)6 – Part of the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP). (V)6 provides enhanced electronic support capability through upgraded antennas and open combat system interface. It is made up of the SEWIP Block 1B2, SEWIP Block 1B3, and SEWIP Block 2, which provide specific emitter identification (SEI), high gain high sense (HGHS), and electronic support (ES), respectively. (V)6 is currently in full-rate production for installation on the latest Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and for retrofit on existing ones, replacing their existing SLQ-32 equipment. AN/SLQ-32(V)7 – Adds onto (V)6 with the SEWIP Block 3, which upgrades electronic attack (EA) capability. As of 2022, it is in low-rate initial production. Starting in FY 2022, Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will be upgraded from (V)6 to (V)7. All versions of the SLQ-32, with the exception of the (V)4, are interfaced with the Mk 36 Decoy Launching System, able to launch chaff and infrared decoys under the control of the SLQ-32. A growing number of systems are being upgraded to incorporate the Australian-designed Mk 53 Nulka decoy launching system. The original modular design was intended to allow upgrades of the system from one variant to the next by simply installing additional equipment as required. Starting in the early 1990s, a program was begun to upgrade all SLQ-32s in the U.S. fleet. Most (V)1 systems were upgraded to (V)2, and most (V)2 systems were upgraded to (V)3. This was normally carried out during a major ship overhaul. SEWIP Block 2 was tested on in December 2014, and as of 2022, the latest U.S. destroyers are fitted with (V)6. Also in 2022, USS Pinckney was being installed with SEWIP Block 3 and will complete in 2023. Contract 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