Pakistan's F-16 fleet will get advanced technology of AIDEWS by Exelis. In its press release, Exelis
said
Exelis (NYSE: XLS) has received official certification for its AN/ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS)
to fly on board Pakistani F 16 fighter aircraft. The AIDEWS pod is
currently the only digital radio frequency memory-based electronic
warfare (EW) pod certified to F-16 basic aircraft limits, including
requirements for lightning protection.
The ALQ-211(V)9 is an external pod variant of the Exelis
ALQ-211
family of electronic self-protection systems. After completing the U.S.
Air Force SEEK EAGLE process for aircraft stores certification, the
system is now cleared for deployment with F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft
procured through the Peace Drive 2 Foreign Military Sales program. This
certification can be readily extended to F-16 Blocks 25-52, both
domestic and international.
To achieve certification, the Exelis team defined, flew and
evaluated a series of compatibility flight profile (CFP) missions
designed to clear the pod to the F-16’s basic limits. Two stores
configurations were evaluated to capture current and future pod
configuration requirements without the need for additional CFP missions.
Conducted at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the successful tests were a
collaborative effort with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort
Worth, Texas, and the U.S. Air Force.
The AIDEWS pod is a self-contained integrated electronic
countermeasures and radar warning receiver system designed to protect
the F-16 Fighting Falcon from radio frequency (RF) threats. The pod
system offers the flexibility to be installed or removed based on
mission requirements, while greatly enhancing pilots’ situational
awareness.
“The AIDEWS pod provides the U.S. and its allies with a modular,
highly capable and cost-effective survivability system for a range of
fighter aircraft,” said Joe Rambala, vice president and general manager
of the Exelis integrated electronic warfare systems business. “Achieving
this certification will give more pilots access to the system’s
advanced RF protection and the flexibility to meet the evolving RF
threat.”
SEEK EAGLE is the standard aircraft stores certification process
for the U.S. Air Force. Through digital modeling, simulation and
analysis, ground tests and flight tests, the process ensures that stores
such as weapons, carriage and release equipment and external tanks and
pods can fly safely on their respective platforms. The certification
process includes verifying safe upload and download procedures, flight
limits for safe carriage, employment, jettison and safe escape, and
ballistic accuracy.
The AIDEWS electronic self-protection system is produced at the
Exelis facility in Clifton, New Jersey, and is part of a suite of EW
technologies designed to enable domestic and international customers to
perform their critical missions. Leveraging its decades of innovation
and experience in the electromagnetic spectrum, Exelis has identified EW
as one of the company’s four strategic growth platforms.
Some features of this system are :
DIGITAL RADAR WARNING RECEIVER (RWR)
> Channelized digital receiver
> High probability of intercept wideband receiver
> Operates in high density environments
> Situational awareness capability
DIGITAL RF MEMORY (DRFM) BASED JAMMER
> Lightweight, high performance
> Defeats pulse, pulse doppler and continuous wave threats
> Full frequency coverage
ELECTRONIC WARFARE (EW) CONTROL
> Interface to expendables
> Data recording
> On-board training
> Integrated with ALQ-213 to enhance on-board RWR for
legacy aircraft
> Can operate as suite controller
