US Northrop Integrates Jammer and Agile Beam Radar on F-16 Fighters to Map and Track While Jamming
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Northrop Grumman says it has combined the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite and the APG-83 SABR radar on the F-16 after flight testing with the U.S. Air Force. The pairing aims to raise survivability and lethality by allowing radar and jammer to operate in the same spectrum without self-interference, a step aligned with ongoing Viper modernization.
On October 28, 2025, Northrop Grumman announced that its AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite now operates in concert with the company’s AN/APG-83 SABR active electronically scanned array on F-16s, a configuration the firm says prevents mutual interference and preserves tracking quality even while jamming. The company points to pulse-to-pulse digital coordination validated in flight events and an Operational Assessment conducted with the Air Force, which previously reported more than 70 sorties against representative threats.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
F-16 Fighters will be able to jam threats while still mapping and tracking targets for faster, safer shots. (Picture source: US DoD)
The Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) uses an ultra-wideband architecture to detect, classify, and counter modern, agile threats, including frequency-hopping or deceptive emitters. The Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), first delivered in 2013 and now fielded on more than 900 F-16s, is an active electronically scanned array that supports both air-to-air and air-to-surface tasks with higher availability than legacy mechanically scanned sets. The two subsystems coordinate digitally on a pulse-to-pulse basis, each remaining aware of the other’s activity. In practice, this lets the pilot conduct Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mapping or multi-target tracking while IVEWS counters threat radars, without self-jamming or degrading radar picture quality.
The U.S. Air Force selected IVEWS in 2019, after which the suite completed an Operational Assessment over more than 70 sorties in dense electromagnetic environments. The first combined flight occurred during the Northern Lightning exercise in 2021, a scenario that stresses spectral deconfliction under joint tactics. Since then, IVEWS has accumulated more than 250 flight hours, with two USAF F-16s carrying early integrated standards and reporting positive reliability and integration results according to the program office. These data points matter to operators because demonstrated performance in contested environments determines whether an upgrade moves quickly into an Operational Flight Program rather than remaining in laboratory settings.
On the radar side, SABR provides high-resolution SAR mapping for targeting and navigation, Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) for convoy tracking, and maritime search with track quality that supports time-sensitive strikes. Interleaved modes maintain the air-to-air picture while prosecuting surface targets, and the solid-state architecture improves mean time between failures for squadrons with high utilization rates. On the protection side, IVEWS fuses radar warning via its Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), digital techniques generation, and expendables management. Ultra-wideband receivers shorten detection timelines against highly agile threats, and onboard power supports reactive countermeasures without external pods that add drag and signature. The key technical point is fine synchronization: pulse-to-pulse coordination preserves timing coherence between jamming and radar emission, maintaining signal-to-noise ratios and clean tracks.
The target fleet includes both F-16C/D Block 50/52 and F-16V Block 70/72 aircraft. The former carry, depending on configuration, a General Electric F110-GE-129 or a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine at roughly 29,000 lbf of thrust with afterburner, modernized avionics with a MIL-STD-1760 bus, and SEAD/Wild Weasel capability centered on the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM). The latter introduce the Viper architecture with the AN/APG-83 AESA, a modular mission computer, a large central display, the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System II (JHMCS II), and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS), combined with a reinforced 12,000-hour airframe and conformal fuel tanks that preserve weapon stations. In both cases, retrofit toward the Viper standard and use of the Link 16 tactical data link support incremental upgrades and coalition interoperability, improving the Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) and Common Operating Picture (COP).
The sensors-to-effects stack changes how a four-ship plans and survives. With SABR providing dependable long-range search and precise SAR, the formation builds a richer maritime or air picture and feeds a more stable COP to command-and-control nodes. In parallel, IVEWS supports tighter Emission Control (EMCON): the aircraft can run radar-intensive phases when required, then shift to protective electronic action without collapsing the package’s radar picture. In suppression of enemy air defenses, the suite allows the F-16 to prosecute emitters while maintaining standoff awareness, giving escorts a better window to time HARMs and decoys and reducing exposure for shooters and tankers. The cumulative effects at package level are improved track continuity, fewer radar dropouts, and lower fratricide risk in crowded engagement areas. For mixed coalitions, integration stabilizes timelines and deconflicts the electromagnetic portion of the plan across a composite force, yielding a more resilient RMP/COP.
Integration and in-service support also matter for budget-constrained forces. Because IVEWS and SABR are produced in the United States and already fielded at scale, timelines and spares chains align with existing F-16 support in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific. The architecture enables rapid software updates through Operational Flight Program cycles, integrating new threat libraries without hardware requalification. This approach reduces ownership costs and supports incremental capability insertion, which is relevant for air forces that employ the F-16 as a high-end complement to newer platforms. For defense industrial bases (BITD), the path enables offsets focused on installation, test, and field support without major structural modifications.
As Russia hardens integrated air defenses and the People’s Republic of China refines access-denial networks, many partners retain the F-16 as a frontline asset. A radar-EW pairing that remains coherent under pressure helps keep the aircraft relevant within NATO and beyond, buys time for gradual fifth-generation growth, and raises the cost for adversaries seeking to deny air access through mobile, frequency-agile systems. For countries acquiring second-hand F-16s or upgrading mid-life fleets, the package offers a practical route to denial-based deterrence: better awareness, faster targeting, and a wider survival envelope. In practice, spectrum competence becomes a strategic lever. By keeping the Viper credible, allies preserve mass and interoperability without overextending acquisition budgets and maintain a coalition air posture that is harder to disrupt during crises.
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Northrop Grumman says it has combined the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite and the APG-83 SABR radar on the F-16 after flight testing with the U.S. Air Force. The pairing aims to raise survivability and lethality by allowing radar and jammer to operate in the same spectrum without self-interference, a step aligned with ongoing Viper modernization.
On October 28, 2025, Northrop Grumman announced that its AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite now operates in concert with the company’s AN/APG-83 SABR active electronically scanned array on F-16s, a configuration the firm says prevents mutual interference and preserves tracking quality even while jamming. The company points to pulse-to-pulse digital coordination validated in flight events and an Operational Assessment conducted with the Air Force, which previously reported more than 70 sorties against representative threats.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
F-16 Fighters will be able to jam threats while still mapping and tracking targets for faster, safer shots. (Picture source: US DoD)
The Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) uses an ultra-wideband architecture to detect, classify, and counter modern, agile threats, including frequency-hopping or deceptive emitters. The Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), first delivered in 2013 and now fielded on more than 900 F-16s, is an active electronically scanned array that supports both air-to-air and air-to-surface tasks with higher availability than legacy mechanically scanned sets. The two subsystems coordinate digitally on a pulse-to-pulse basis, each remaining aware of the other’s activity. In practice, this lets the pilot conduct Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mapping or multi-target tracking while IVEWS counters threat radars, without self-jamming or degrading radar picture quality.
The U.S. Air Force selected IVEWS in 2019, after which the suite completed an Operational Assessment over more than 70 sorties in dense electromagnetic environments. The first combined flight occurred during the Northern Lightning exercise in 2021, a scenario that stresses spectral deconfliction under joint tactics. Since then, IVEWS has accumulated more than 250 flight hours, with two USAF F-16s carrying early integrated standards and reporting positive reliability and integration results according to the program office. These data points matter to operators because demonstrated performance in contested environments determines whether an upgrade moves quickly into an Operational Flight Program rather than remaining in laboratory settings.
On the radar side, SABR provides high-resolution SAR mapping for targeting and navigation, Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) for convoy tracking, and maritime search with track quality that supports time-sensitive strikes. Interleaved modes maintain the air-to-air picture while prosecuting surface targets, and the solid-state architecture improves mean time between failures for squadrons with high utilization rates. On the protection side, IVEWS fuses radar warning via its Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), digital techniques generation, and expendables management. Ultra-wideband receivers shorten detection timelines against highly agile threats, and onboard power supports reactive countermeasures without external pods that add drag and signature. The key technical point is fine synchronization: pulse-to-pulse coordination preserves timing coherence between jamming and radar emission, maintaining signal-to-noise ratios and clean tracks.
The target fleet includes both F-16C/D Block 50/52 and F-16V Block 70/72 aircraft. The former carry, depending on configuration, a General Electric F110-GE-129 or a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine at roughly 29,000 lbf of thrust with afterburner, modernized avionics with a MIL-STD-1760 bus, and SEAD/Wild Weasel capability centered on the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM). The latter introduce the Viper architecture with the AN/APG-83 AESA, a modular mission computer, a large central display, the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System II (JHMCS II), and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS), combined with a reinforced 12,000-hour airframe and conformal fuel tanks that preserve weapon stations. In both cases, retrofit toward the Viper standard and use of the Link 16 tactical data link support incremental upgrades and coalition interoperability, improving the Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) and Common Operating Picture (COP).
The sensors-to-effects stack changes how a four-ship plans and survives. With SABR providing dependable long-range search and precise SAR, the formation builds a richer maritime or air picture and feeds a more stable COP to command-and-control nodes. In parallel, IVEWS supports tighter Emission Control (EMCON): the aircraft can run radar-intensive phases when required, then shift to protective electronic action without collapsing the package’s radar picture. In suppression of enemy air defenses, the suite allows the F-16 to prosecute emitters while maintaining standoff awareness, giving escorts a better window to time HARMs and decoys and reducing exposure for shooters and tankers. The cumulative effects at package level are improved track continuity, fewer radar dropouts, and lower fratricide risk in crowded engagement areas. For mixed coalitions, integration stabilizes timelines and deconflicts the electromagnetic portion of the plan across a composite force, yielding a more resilient RMP/COP.
Integration and in-service support also matter for budget-constrained forces. Because IVEWS and SABR are produced in the United States and already fielded at scale, timelines and spares chains align with existing F-16 support in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific. The architecture enables rapid software updates through Operational Flight Program cycles, integrating new threat libraries without hardware requalification. This approach reduces ownership costs and supports incremental capability insertion, which is relevant for air forces that employ the F-16 as a high-end complement to newer platforms. For defense industrial bases (BITD), the path enables offsets focused on installation, test, and field support without major structural modifications.
As Russia hardens integrated air defenses and the People’s Republic of China refines access-denial networks, many partners retain the F-16 as a frontline asset. A radar-EW pairing that remains coherent under pressure helps keep the aircraft relevant within NATO and beyond, buys time for gradual fifth-generation growth, and raises the cost for adversaries seeking to deny air access through mobile, frequency-agile systems. For countries acquiring second-hand F-16s or upgrading mid-life fleets, the package offers a practical route to denial-based deterrence: better awareness, faster targeting, and a wider survival envelope. In practice, spectrum competence becomes a strategic lever. By keeping the Viper credible, allies preserve mass and interoperability without overextending acquisition budgets and maintain a coalition air posture that is harder to disrupt during crises.
