Northrop Grumman's IVEWS system, pictured in 2024. The system, which has largely completed flight-testing, is awaiting a USAF production decision. (Northrop Grumman)
The Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) is progressing through flight-testing, the company's vice-president for navigation, targeting, and survivability, James Conroy, told Janes on 5 March at the 2025 Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) Warfare Symposium. The US Air Force (USAF) selected IVEWS for retrofit aboard its Lockheed Martin F-16s in 2019, although no production decision has yet been made.
Two USAF F-16 Block 50s are equipped with IVEWS, flying mostly from Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida. Flight-testing began in September 2024.
“We've had over 50 flights right now, and we've had over 80 flight hours,” Conroy said. “We went against every [simulated threat]. We've gone through advanced fourth-generation and fifth-generation platforms. We've gone against advanced ground threat radars.”
IVEWS has also flown what Conroy termed a “graduation exercise”, in which an IVEWS-equipped F-16 flew against two simulated “advanced ground systems”. “It was jamming both of those simultaneously.”
The USAF told Janes on 13 March that “F-16s equipped with the IVEWS system underwent a series of progressively challenging tests against increasingly complex scenarios and threat systems. The IVEWS system consistently demonstrated favourable performance throughout all test scenarios”.
Conroy described IVEWS as having achieved Technology Readiness Level 8, or flight-qualified in a relevant environment, and Manufacturing Readiness Level 8, or demonstrated and ready for low-rate initial production.
The USAF has issued an Operational Assessment (OA), an internal report that USAF personnel are examining to determine IVEWS' efficacy, Conroy said. Northrop Grumman expects the service to decide on IVEWS production “within the next months”, Conroy added.
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