New F-16 defense system hits 500 flight hours after 300 sorties of testing

Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) has surpassed 500 flight hours and 300 sorties during testing, demonstrating its ability to protect F-16 pilots from multiple simultaneous radio-frequency threats. Tested at a US government range, the system is designed to detect, identify, geolocate, and counter advanced land, surface, and airborne threats. The upgrade is intended to improve pilot survivability and preserve the F-16’s ability to operate in contested airspace. Electronic protection for the F-16 Fifth- and sixth-generation fighters increasingly depend on stealth and advanced connectivity to survive in hostile environments. Older platforms such as the F-16, however, rely heavily on electronic warfare systems to detect and respond to threats. IVEWS provides the F-16 with ultra-wideband protection across a broad portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. According to Northrop Grumman, it can counter multiple threats simultaneously while helping pilots maintain freedom of movement during missions. The system can also geolocate radio-frequency threats using a single aircraft. This allows pilots to determine where a potential threat is located and react before it can place the aircraft at greater risk. “You cannot defeat what you cannot see,” said Shalini Gupta, vice president of electronic warfare and targeting at Northrop Grumman. “A modern EW suite is essential for operations in contested airspace. We are producing fully functional, flight-proven systems now. From day one, our customers gain the ability to geolocate threats with a single aircraft, and the confidence that comes with having a U.S. program of record system on board,” she added. Works alongside the F-16’s radar IVEWS is the only F-16 electronic warfare suite offering pulse-to-pulse interoperability with the aircraft’s AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar, or SABR, according to Northrop Grumman. Electronic warfare equipment and radar can interfere with one another because both operate across the radio-frequency spectrum. IVEWS and SABR are designed to work together without requiring filtering or interrupting either system. Northrop Grumman said this integration avoids blackouts and prevents any reduction in electronic protection or targeting performance. Pilots can therefore continue using the radar while IVEWS searches for and responds to surrounding threats. The US Air Force has selected IVEWS as its F-16 electronic warfare program of record, recognizing the system as a planned protection capability for the Viper. Open architecture supports future upgrades The threats facing military aircraft are becoming increasingly mobile and difficult to predict. New systems can operate across a wide electromagnetic spectrum and rapidly switch on or off, giving electronic warfare equipment little time to detect and counter them. IVEWS uses an open architecture intended to help the system evolve as those threats change. It also complies with the US Air Force’s Big Iron initiative, an open software standard for electronic warfare systems. The standard is designed to speed up the integration of new capabilities while reducing the time aircraft spend out of service for upgrades. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Atharva is a full-time content writer with a post-graduate degree in media & amp; entertainment and a graduate degree in electronics & telecommunications. He has written in the sports and technology domains respectively. In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches. His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.