Air Force Ready to Flight Test Viper Electronic Warfare Upgrade for F-16s

September 12, 2024

The AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite uses an ultra-wideband architecture to counter advanced radio frequency threats. (Image: Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman’s AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) has completed U.S. Air Force testing in the service’s Joint Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Sensors (J-PRIMES) facility.

During a series of rigorous tests, AN/ALQ-257 IVEWS was subjected to accurate representations of complex radio frequency spectrum threats in the J-PRIMES anechoic chamber. The system demonstrated the ability to detect, identify and counter advanced radio frequency threats while operating safely with other F-16 systems. The successful completion of this regimen allows AN/ALQ-257 IVEWS to begin flight testing on Air Force F-16 aircraft.

“J-PRIMES marks the culmination of three years of extensive U.S. government IVEWS system-level testing that’s encompassed multiple Integration Demonstrations and Applications Lab (IDAL) events, flight demonstration on a surrogate platform during NORTHERN LIGHTNING 2021, Laboratory Intelligent Validated Emulator (LIVE) closed-loop testing and full integration into the Hill Air Force Base F-16 Block 50 avionics system integration lab,” said U.S. Air Force Colonel Michael Rigoni, Director, F-16 International Electronic Warfare Systems. “I am optimistic the upcoming operational assessment flight test events will yield positive results and look forward to seeing this important capability continue to mature for U.S. and international F-16 operators around the world.”

The AN/ALQ-257 IVEWS is designed to give F-16 electronic warfare capabilities on a par with fifth-generation aircraft, significantly enhancing survivability for operations in contested and congested electromagnetic spectrum environments. Its ultra-wideband suite can detect, identify and counter advanced radio frequency threats, including millimeter wave systems. IVEWS’s full pulse-to-pulse interoperability with the AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radar provides capability without compromise. It was selected as the U.S. program of record for F-16 electronic warfare in 2019.

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