Northrop Grumman has reported that the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) has accumulated more than 500 flight hours and 300 sorties. The company describes the system as the most advanced ultra-wideband electronic warfare suite for the F-16, designed to protect pilots against multiple simultaneous land, surface, and airborne radio frequency threats.
The U.S. Air Force selected IVEWS as the F-16 electronic warfare program of record. According to Northrop Grumman, the system is the only F-16 electronic warfare suite that features pulse-to-pulse interoperability with the AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radar. The company states this integration allows for continuous protection without filtering, blackouts, or diminished targeting capabilities.
Shalini Gupta, vice president of electronic warfare and targeting at Northrop Grumman, emphasized the necessity of modern electronic warfare for contested airspace. "You cannot defeat what you cannot see," Gupta said. "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."
The company noted that static threats are being replaced by agile, mobile systems that operate across a broad electromagnetic spectrum. To address this, IVEWS utilizes an open architecture that enables continuous evolution. Northrop Grumman stated that this approach ensures compliance with the Air Force’s Big Iron initiative, an open architecture software standard focused on electronic warfare.
