Viper Shield electronic warfare system completes first flight on F-16 Block 70
NewsFebruary 05, 2025
MELBOURNE, Florida. The L3Harris all-digital electronic warfare (EW) suite, Viper Shield, completed its first flight on a single-seat Block 70 F-16 operated by the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the company announced in a statement.
The flight included risk reduction tests to assess the system’s compatibility with the aircraft’s mission computer, avionics subsystems, and APG-83 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the statement reads.
Viper Shield is designed to enhance the EW capabilities of international F-16 fleets, providing radar threat detection and jamming responses to disrupt adversary targeting, the company says. The system is intended to integrate across all F-16 Blocks with minimal modifications and is compatible with both the current Mission Modular Computer and the Next Generation Mission Computer.
L3Harris states that Viper Shield flight testing is set to continue and deliveries are expected to begin in late 2025.
