Of course, the EW capabilities of the F-16 fighter jets coming to Ukraine have been significantly enhanced by the USAF, thus providing increased survivability against an adversary whose threat is constantly being modified by Russia. Enhancements were conducted at the hands of the 68th EWS, Danish, and Norwegian counterparts.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon – A Combat Aircraft of the 1970s, still a cornerstone of Modern Air Forcing Worldwide. Despite the age, continuous updates managed to keep it alive in modern warfare. It is the latest updates from the Ukrainian F-16s that prove the case here for constant improvement.
The task here was taken up by the 68th EWS who are stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida that undertook the reprogramming of EW systems from jets donated by Denmark and Norway NATO allies.
“Most reprogramming centers would have said ‘no way’ when approaching this challenge; it’s uncharted policy,” said the 68th EWS chief engineer.
The team, of seasoned professionals and young engineers, took data from Denmark and Norway to understand and reprogram the EW systems that had not been explained; they even sent team members overseas to a partner-nation lab to work together on and test the system.
Electronic warfare is of significant importance for modern conflicts, as it includes on the one hand operations in the electromagnetic spectrum to sense, protect, and communicate and, on the other hand, deny, disrupt, or degrade the enemy’s use of such signals.
The war between Ukrainian forces and Russian forces has constantly shown two forces intensely fighting with EW tactics like jamming and spoofing to achieve superiority in the spectrum.
Toward that end, firm-fit versions of TERMA’s sensor pylons have been added to the upgraded F-16s, Perpignan said – these include built-in approach warning sensors, and can be made to accommodate electronic warfare jammers as well as dispensers for decoy flares and chaff.
These should achieve synergistic effects with the jet’s internal self-protection suite.
Ukraine took delivery of its first tranche of these upgraded F-16s, already being fed into the fight against Russian missile and drone attacks.
But in still noting that the reprogramming of the EW systems is not routine, certainly was something the team was able to work out in two weeks and turn into a best-ever mission data file.
This team effort of the USAF with its NATO allies highlights that coalition partners have to be playing from the same playbook to achieve spectrum dominance.
“One F-16 with a reprogrammed pod won’t achieve air dominance alone, but it may give you a pocket of air superiority for a moment to achieve an objective that has strategic importance and impact,” said the 68th EWS director.
Perhaps the most recent example of electronic warfare’s crucial role in current military planning has been the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The USAF’s plans to enhance the EW capability of Ukrainian F-16s represent an important step toward enabling Kyiv to rebuff Russian threats in the electromagnetic spectrum.