At the end of October 2024, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Northrop Grumman announced the start of flight testing and evaluation of the new IVEWS electronic warfare system, intended to equip U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters. Recently, the U.S. defense firm reported that this phase of the program has been successfully completed, paving the way for the start of production and deployment of the new system on Fighting Falcon aircraft.
The development of the Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS), also designated AN/ALQ-257, by Northrop Grumman, responds to the U.S. Air Force’s operational requirements to enhance and expand the survivability capabilities of its F-16 fighters.
This program is closely linked to the ongoing update process of the Fighting Falcon under the Post-Block Integration Team (PoBIT), which includes the integration of the new IVEWS with the APG-83 SABR AESA radar that equips both new and upgraded F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft.
Although the start of testing was reported in late October, few details were provided at the time, other than the fact that the trials were being conducted at the aforementioned Eglin Air Force Base by pilots and F-16s from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron equipped with IVEWS.
With Northrop Grumman’s official statement released at the end of April, it was finally confirmed that the flight tests were carried out using two F-16 Block 50 fighters from the aforementioned experimental squadron, with additional testing also taking place at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
According to the company, the system installed on the aircraft “…demonstrated stable performance over more than 70 sorties, covering a variety of environmental conditions and mission-representative scenarios, including air-to-air, air-to-ground, and mixed threat engagements. While laboratory threat simulations and chambers provide opportunities to test technical capabilities, in-flight testing with customer aircraft remains the gold standard to verify system performance in combat-representative conditions.”
Lieutenant Colonel Christopher B. James, Deputy Division Chief for USAF F-16 Programs, provided further details, stating: “Our USAF F-16 System Program Office, in collaboration with our partners at Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Eglin’s OFP/CTF, and Terma, successfully completed the IVEWS Operational Assessment with excellent results. The team conducted more than 70 sorties and over 100 flight hours in a seven-month period. The system not only performed well, but it also operated from the first flight on both aircraft — which is unprecedented for a fully integrated, complex electronic warfare system. It has earned the motto: ‘IVEWS, first time, every time.’”
The completion of this phase —which also confirmed interoperability between the IVEWS and the APG-83 SABR AESA radar, with neither system reducing the other’s capabilities— opens the door for the U.S. Air Force to move forward with contract awards to begin production and subsequent operational deployment of the new electronic warfare system.
Finally, it should be noted that the USAF’s stated intention is to install this new capability on up to 450 F-16s in its combat fleet, as part of the modernization of a similar number of aircraft from the Air National Guard to the Block 70 standard.
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