The U.S. Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman for a project to develop a prototype internally mounted electronic-warfare (EW) suite and digital radar warning receiver (RWR) for F-16 fighter aircraft. The agreement was issued under the System of Systems Sensors Communications and Electronics (SOSSEC) Consortium’s Air Force Open System Acquisition Initiative (OSAI) other transaction agreement (OTA) for prototyping.
The U.S. Air Force has tasked Northrop Grumman with the development of an advanced EW suite and digital RWR for internal installation in F-16 fighters. (Courtesy: U.S. Air Force)
“Providing advanced electronic warfare capabilities to the F-16 community is critically important to the future survivability of the platform, especially as the electromagnetic spectrum becomes increasingly contested,” said Brent Toland, vice president, land and avionics C4ISR, Northrop Grumman. “Our system builds on our long experience with the F-16 and other military aircraft to provide the warfighter with the ability to operate seamlessly against the threats that are continuing to grow in sophistication.”
The prototype project will pursue the design and development of an internally mounted EW system with spherical RW, threat identification, and electronic countermeasures (ECM) capabilities for detection and protection against electromagnetic (EM) threats. To explore the most advanced available technologies for the prototype systems, Northrop Grumman will team with non-traditional defense contractors in hopes of developing solutions that also meet the USAF’s reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) design incentives.
