Northrop Grumman's Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) has completed Operational Assessment.
“Dominating the electromagnetic spectrum paves the way for all other operations,” vice president of electronic warfare and targeting, James Conroy, said.
Fighter jet radars and electronic warfare (EW) protection systems use the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for targeting, self-protection and surveillance missions.
Northrop Grumman has designed the F-16’s IVEWS to work with the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, so that both could use the same portion of the spectrum simultaneously.
“We built IVEWS with an ultra-wideband architecture and the onboard power to detect and protect against the most advanced threats,” Conroy said. “The U.S. and its international partners are encountering these same threats worldwide.”
According to Northrop Grumman, there is no filtering, blanking or reduction of the radar’s capabilities while IVEWS protects the platform. The two systems communicate digitally on a pulse-to-pulse basis, so each is aware of what portion of the spectrum the other is using at every moment. Pilots can carry out radar tasks without interfering with the ability of IVEWS to counter adversary threats.
“Our USAF F-16 System Program Office, in collaboration with our Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Eglin’s OFP/CTF and Terma partners, has successfully completed the IVEWS Operational Assessment with excellent results...Not only did the system perform well, but it also worked during its first flight on two aircraft, which is unprecedented for a complex and fully integrated electronic warfare system," USAF, Deputy Division Chief, F-16 USAF Programs, Lt. Col. Christopher James, noted.
IVEWS was selected by the US Air Force in 2019 and has since completed Operational Assessment, flying more than 70 sorties in complex electromagnetic spectrum environments. Northrop Grumman has delivered over 900 SABR systems since 2013.
At the Air Force’s Northern Lightning exercise in 2021, IVEWS flew together with SABR in a highly congested electromagnetic spectrum environment against airborne and ground-based threats. It would undergo rigorous laboratory and chamber testing before being installed on two USAF F-16 aircraft and completing Developmental Test and Operational Assessment.
Designed and built in America, both IVEWS and SABR have the potential to protect the worldwide fleet of over 2,800 F-16 aircrafts.