The US Air Force has conducted the first flight of a Lockheed Martin F-16 equipped with the new Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) system.
The flight took place in October and involved an aircraft assigned to the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, says the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Air Combat Command.
Produced by Northrop Grumman and designated AN/ALQ-257, IVEWS provides a digital radar warning capability and can detect, locate, and jam threats.
“This technology can be implemented on almost any airframe,” says USAF Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Gagnon, commander of the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron.
“We are creating a force multiplier not just for the F-16, but for any platform.”
The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the growing importance of EW in modern warfare. Potential foes such as China and Russia place great emphasis on the importance of the electromagnetic spectrum in warfare. China in particuar has made significant investments in radar technology.
The USAF says that IVEWS will give the F-16 “fourth-generation-plus” status.
“Freedom to manoeuvre in a near-peer conflict depends on spectrum dominance,” says Northrop.
“The AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite is designed to give the F-16 electronic warfare capabilities on a par with fifth-generation aircraft, significantly enhancing survivability for operations in contested and congested electromagnetic spectrum environments.”
It adds that the system can detect advanced radio frequency threats, including those from millimetre-wave systems.
