According to a press release issued in late April, IVEWS was tested aboard F-16 multirole fighters and demonstrated robust performance against advanced radio frequency threats in realistic operational environments. The system successfully detected and countered a wide range of threats, providing comprehensive protection for the aircraft.
Notably, IVEWS is fully compatible with the AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), allowing both systems to operate simultaneously without degrading each other’s performance — an important capability for maintaining situational awareness and survivability in contested airspace.
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Lieutenant Colonel Christopher B. James, Deputy Division Chief for USAF F-16 Programs, praised the new system, citing "outstanding results" and noting that IVEWS was tested simultaneously on two aircraft during its initial flight.
Northrop Grumman revealed that IVEWS underwent seven months of rigorous testing under near-combat conditions. The trials were conducted at two air bases using F-16 Block 50 aircraft, which carried out over 70 sorties. These included air-to-air, air-to-ground, and mixed-threat mission scenarios.
IVEWS, officially designated AN/ALQ-257, is designed to bring fifth-generation-level survivability to fourth-generation fighters. It is also fully exportable without restrictions, according to the manufacturer.
With testing and validation now complete, Northrop Grumman’s IVEWS is poised to become a critical upgrade for F-16 fleets facing increasingly sophisticated electronic threats worldwide.
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