L3Harris completes first production of Viper Shield systems for F-16 fleet

L3Harris Technologies has completed the production of the first 35 Viper Shield electronic warfare and countermeasure systems intended for the global F-16 fleet. The system is designed to detect, identify, and counter electronic threats by providing what is described as ‘digital armor’ around the aircraft.

The technology is compatible with F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft and is fully interoperable with the APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. It can be utilized as an integrated internal system or as an external pod, and L3Harris has successfully assembled its first pod using production systems.

There are currently 233 systems on order from eight allied nations. L3Harris is ramping up to full-rate production to meet this demand. The company noted that the $1 billion shared investment by these international partners provides an opportunity for the U.S. Air Force and National Guard to join the program and benefit from existing development and testing funded by foreign investment.