Next-gen EW system to equip F-16 fighter under L3Harris Technologies contract
NewsMarch 24, 2021
MELBOURNE, Fla. L3Harris Technologies has won a contract from Lockheed Martin for development of a new advanced electronic warfare (EW) system to protect the international F-16 multirole fighter aircraft against emerging radar and electronic threats.
According to the company, L3Harris designed Viper Shield to provide United States and global coalition partners with next-generation countermeasures against evolving threats. The baseline version is integrated into the aircraft fuselage, saving space for additional capability such as a fuel pod that could be attached externally to increase mission range.
Integration with the F-16’s weapon systems, including the aircraft’s radar, will aim to enable Viper Shield to have broad application to Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft configurations. Officials claim that more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe plan to fly the F-16 Block 70/72 variant.
