A US Air Force F-16 of the 480th Fighter Squadron landing at Spangdahlem Air Base

F-16 IVEWS: Air Force Adds $87 Million for the Viper’s New EW Suite

by Joseph Duncan | Sep 26, 2026 | Aviation militaire, Nouvelles | 0 comments

Le F-16 has seen heavy action against Iranian air defences in Operation Epic Fury. Its existing self-protection gear has coped, but the US Air Force knows that China's air defences are a different league. So this week it put another $87.4 million into the jet's next-generation electronic warfare suite, and the first production systems are headed for the Middle East.

The money funds low-rate initial production of Northrop Grumman's AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS. It brings the programme's total value to $1.92 billion and covers the first 72 Block 50 F-16s.

Informations clés

Système: AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS), built into the F-16 airframe
Contractor: Northrop Grumman, production in Illinois
New funding: $87.4 million low-rate initial production modification, reported 25 September 2026
Programme value: $1.92 billion in total
First jets: 72 Block 50 F-16s; full-rate production planned for a 450-aircraft fleet
Essai: Flight tests since 2024; more than 550 hours across 300 sorties
Achèvement: LRIP work expected to end by late 2029

What IVEWS Does

IVEWS is an ultra-wideband system that combines radar warning, active jamming and threat detection, identification and location. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, its big advantage is single-aircraft autonomous geolocation: one F-16 can find an enemy radar and map the threat while its jammer is running. Older systems needed several aircraft to triangulate a radar, and pilots had to switch off their jammers to map threats.

The suite is also built for fast software updates under the Air Force's "Big Iron" standard, so new threat files can be loaded without hardware changes or long groundings. It works alongside the F-16's AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), an AESA radar that Northrop has now delivered more than 1,000 times to F-16 customers.

“You cannot defeat what you cannot see. A modern EW suite is essential for operations in contested airspace. We are producing fully functional, flight-proven systems now.”

Shalini Gupta — Vice President, Electronic Warfare and Targeting, Northrop Grumman, in a statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine

Pushed by CENTCOM

The programme gained speed because of operational pressure. In 2025 the Air Force issued an urgent operational need statement at the request of US Central Command, and Congress added $187 million in the fiscal 2026 reconciliation bill to speed up qualification and flight testing. Lt. Gen. Derek France, then commander of Air Forces Central, called IVEWS in September 2025 one of many efforts to keep fourth-generation platforms competitive as the adversary advances.

The F-16s that need it most are the Block 50 Wild Weasels. During Operation Epic Fury, the Air Force used its Block 50 F-16s for suppression of enemy air defences and deployed most of its Wild Weasel units against Iran. Those jets carry AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles and the HARM Targeting System pod, a capability the F-15E Strike Eagle lacks.

An F-16CJ Block 50 fires an AGM-88 HARM — An F-16CJ Block 50 of the 86th Fighter Weapons Squadron fires an AGM-88 HARM during a weapons evaluation. Wild Weasel Block 50s are first in line for IVEWS. US Air Force photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Iran operates both radar-guided and electro-optical/infrared air defences, and non-traditional Houthi systems proved a particular challenge for US aircraft, including F-16s, during Operation Rough Rider over Yemen in 2025. A single jet that can locate an emitter while jamming it is exactly what those crews need.

Two EW Suites, One Airframe

IVEWS is the US Air Force's choice. Export customers buying new Block 70 F-16s have a different option: L3Harris's Viper Shield, lequel Peru has already picked. Together they show how much of a modern fighter's survival now depends on what it can hear and hide from, not on how fast it can fly.

Breaking Defense on the electronic warfare upgrades meant to keep the F-16 competitive.

Full-rate production for the rest of the 450-jet fleet will follow the first batch. For the Viper, a design that first flew in 1974, it means an AESA radar and a digital EW suite for the fights ahead.

Sources: Air & Space Forces Magazine, Northrop Grumman, Breaking Defense

Foire aux questions

What is IVEWS on the F-16?

IVEWS, the AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, is Northrop Grumman's internal electronic warfare system for US Air Force F-16s. It combines radar warning, active jamming and threat geolocation in one ultra-wideband system built into the airframe.

How much is the Air Force spending on IVEWS?

In September 2026 the US Air Force added $87.4 million for low-rate initial production of IVEWS, bringing the total programme value to $1.92 billion. Work at Northrop Grumman's Illinois facility is expected to run until the end of 2029.

Which F-16s get IVEWS first?

The first production batch is for 72 Block 50 F-16s, the variant the US Air Force uses for suppression of enemy air defences. Full-rate production for the wider 450-aircraft fleet is planned to follow.

What can IVEWS do that older F-16 jammers could not?

IVEWS allows single-aircraft autonomous geolocation: one F-16 can locate and map an enemy radar while its jammer is active. Older systems needed several aircraft to triangulate a radar, and pilots had to turn their jammers off to map threats.

What is the difference between IVEWS and Viper Shield?

IVEWS (AN/ALQ-257) is Northrop Grumman's electronic warfare suite for US Air Force F-16s. Viper Shield is L3Harris's electronic warfare system for export F-16 Block 70 customers, such as Peru.