The government of Poland has selected L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) to provide its Viper Shield™ electronic warfare (EW) system for the country’s F-16 Viper upgrade program. Poland will purchase the AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield system through the U.S. government to enhance the offensive and defensive capabilities of its current F-16 Block 52+ configuration. Viper Shield will equip Poland with the same advanced EW features available to other international allies operating the new F-16 Block 70 variant. The company is providing this advanced suite to F-16 fleets in seven countries and is actively engaged in discussions with other U.S. allies and partner nations. In partnership with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force, L3Harris is developing the new AN/ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield to provide U.S. allies with cutting-edge countermeasures against sophisticated, ever-changing threats.
“We are honored Poland selected us to upgrade their F-16V multirole fighters,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “Viper Shield is in production and will enable pilots to identify, locate and counter rapidly evolving threats faster with enhanced success.”
L3Harris is offering Viper Shield in a variety of installation options, including the integration into the Block 70/72 aircraft and a retrofit version for previous F-16 blocks. Viper Shield is also available as an external pod. Designed to be software-defined, Viper Shield ensures battlefield relevance by supporting future capability upgrades.This advanced EW system will provide a virtual electronic shield around the aircraft, enabling warfighters to complete missions safely in increasingly complex battlespace scenarios. Its modern, all-digital architecture using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology enables enhanced system performance, a smaller form factor, reduced weight and easier future upgrades. Viper Shield is designed with fewer critical components than previous generation EW systems. This not only results in a smaller form factor and reduced weight, but also a higher mean time between failure and lower lifecycle costs.
L3Harris has provided EW systems on F-16s for more than 30 years, with our existing systems protecting the fleets of many nations around the world. Several international air forces have already committed to Viper Shield based on its operational capability, advanced technology and affordability. This continues our 60-plus-year legacy of developing advanced EW technology to ensure superiority across the spectrum. Our EW solutions are deployed across all domains – land, sea, air, space – to defeat threats at every level of engagement.
