Exelis’ AN/ALQ-211(V)9 pod cleared for installation on Pakistani F-16 fighters

Exelis- AN/ALQ-211(V)9 AIDEWS has been cleared to fly on board Pakistani Air Force's F 16 fighter aircraft. Photo Exelis

1 October 2014 airforce-technology.com

The Exelis-built AN/ALQ-211(V)9 advanced integrated defensive electronic warfare system (AIDEWS) has been cleared to fly on board the Pakistan Air Force's F-16 fighter aircraft.

The clearance follows completion of the US Air Force's (USAF) Seek Eagle process for aircraft stores certification, which included a series of compatibility flight profile (CFP) missions designed to clear the pod to the F-16's basic limits.

Working in collaboration with the USAF and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, the Exelis team evaluated two stores configurations at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, to capture current and future pod configuration requirements without the need for additional CFP missions.

Exelis integrated electronic warfare systems business vice-president and general manager Joe Rambala said: "The AIDEWS pod provides the US and its allies with a modular, highly capable and cost-effective survivability system for a range of fighter aircraft.

"Achieving this certification will give more pilots access to the system's advanced RF protection and the flexibility to meet the evolving RF threat."

Currently limited to F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft procured by PAF through the Peace Drive 2 foreign military sales programme, the certification can be readily extended to both domestic and foreign F-16 Blocks 25 to 52 fighters.

An external pod variant of the Exelis ALQ-211 family of electronic self-protection systems, AN/ALQ-211(V)9 is a self-contained integrated electronic countermeasures and radar warning receiver system designed to protect the F-16 fighter from radio frequency threats.

Offering the flexibility to be installed or removed based on mission requirements, the pod provides digital radar warning, high-power jamming, threat geo-location and situational awareness using line replaceable units interchangeable with internal AIDEWS systems.

The AN/ALQ-211(V)9 is claimed to be the only digital radio frequency memory-based electronic warfare pod certified to F-16 basic aircraft limits, including requirements for lightning protection.