United States air forces are engaged in combat operations today, and not all the aircraft are modern stealthy platforms like the B-2, F-22, or F-35. The venerable Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon remains the backbone of the U.S. Air Force fighter fleet and will be ...
Electronic warfare
BAE Systems has received a contract from Lockheed Martin to install an upgraded Block 4 electronic warfare system into new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, as well as to retrofit some older jets.
The Air Force has invested $87.4 million to upgrade the F-16 Fighting Falcon's electronic warfare capabilities, bolstering the fighter's self-protection against increasingly advanced threats. Bringing the total program value to $1.92 billion, the move is expected to jump-start fielding by funding low-rate initial production of ...
BAE Systems is building a new slate of compact electronic warfare tools for small airborne platforms that could coordinate with fighters, work with helicopters, or augment legacy aircraft with outdated, hard-to-update EW suites.
The last EC-130H Compass Call in the Air Force’s active inventory made its final flight Sept. 2, as the service prepares to retire the venerable electronic warfare aircraft and pivot to the new EA-37B.
The Space Force wants to make its electronic warfare capabilities more resilient by building five new tactical EW centers, the need for which was underscored by recent Iranian attacks on USSF infrastructure and assets.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has opened a “speedline” to accelerate installations of a new electronic warfare suite on board F-15E fighters, as the service looks to upgrade and expand its EW toolkit.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.
Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.
The Air Force recently tested its “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pod on an HC-130J during Exercise Bamboo Shield, showing the pod can turn the rescue platform into a command-and-control node and protect it from enemy radars.
The Space Force’s Combat Forces Command is expanding its footprint with the creation of two new operations hubs for electronic warfare and satellite communications.
Northrop Grumman is gearing up to produce the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS, which will provide the modern electronic warfare protection the fighter has long needed, officials say.