Northrop's F-16 jammer deal tops $1.9 billion

The U.S. Air Force added $87.4 million to Northrop Grumman's AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite contract, raising its total value to about $1.92 billion. The modification supports low-rate initial production and work at Rolling Meadows, Illinois, through December 2029, with $79.4 million obligated at award from research and procurement accounts. IVEWS is an internally mounted F-16 system that combines radar warning, geolocation, and electronic attack across a wide frequency range, avoiding the aerodynamic and station penalties of an external jamming pod during combat missions.