Arthur McMiler
The U.S. Air Force now has the option to start the production and fielding of Northrop Grumman‘s Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS, which works to defend F-16 fighter aircraft against radar-guided threats.
IVEWS completed its operational assessment, during which it was flight tested aboard Air Force F-16s at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Nellis AFB in Nevada, Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday.
IVEWS Assessment Rating
According to Lt. Col. Christopher James, F-16 USAF Programs deputy division chief, “excellent results” were achieved in the completed operational assessment, with the Northrop system earning the slogan “IVEWS, works first time, every time.”
The Air Force official noted that IVEWS had undergone tests in over 70 flights and in more than 100 flying hours within a seven-month schedule.
“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,” James said.
IVEWS Testing Parameters
The operational testing used representations of actual radio frequency threats in operational environments to verify the results of earlier laboratory, chamber and flight assessments. During the test, IVEWS demonstrated digital interoperability with Northrop’s Scalable Agile Beam Radar in various battlespace engagements, including air-to-air, air-to-ground and mixed threat scenarios.
The systems’ combination enabled detection and counteraction against the whole range of radar treats, providing full RF threat protection and enhanced situational awareness on simulations of actual battlefield missions. The two system’s pulse-by-pulse communication ensured a consistent performance for them in simultaneous electronic warfare and targeting capabilities.
