The U.S. Air Force’s 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron (EWS) recently collaborated with Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands in support of delivering F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The assistance provided by this unit focused on fine-tuning the electronic warfare subsystems to update their capabilities to counter various Russian threats.
To effectively integrate the F-16 into the Ukrainian Air Force, its electronic warfare subsystems required reprogramming to be effective against the constantly evolving Russian threats in the electromagnetic spectrum. For this reason, the 68th Squadron took on this challenge given the urgent priority that this capability represents for the Ukrainian fighters.
According to the U.S. Air Force, one of the challenges faced by the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron was that the subsystem used in the F-16s delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force is not part of the U.S. Air Force inventory. This refers to the Terma pylons, which were provided in their ECIPS+ (Electronic Combat Integrated Pylon System with Missile Warning System) variants, a model that, along with the PIDS+ (Pylon Integrated Dispenser System with Missile Warning System), is characteristic of the Danish F-16AM/BM.
Another significant challenge was the timeline necessary to optimize these electronic warfare subsystems to meet the aircraft’s delivery date. An engineer from the 68th Squadron detailed that, “…Most reprogramming centers would have said ‘no way’ when tackling this challenge; it’s an unknown policy…We looked at each other and said: ‘If not us, then who? We are the best-suited people to do this…’”
The 68th EWS is one of the U.S. Air Force’s centers of excellence in electronic warfare, focusing on increasing the lethality and survivability of U.S. and allied aircraft by developing, testing, and providing full-spectrum electromagnetic warfare support.
The work carried out on the Ukrainian F-16s involved understanding the fighters’ electronic warfare subsystem, which was unfamiliar to the team, and determining the path for implementing a reprogramming process. “…Based on data provided by Denmark and Norway and then adapting new processes and approaches to the usual procedure, the team was able to understand the system and begin their work…”
After understanding the system, the 68th Squadron sent personnel abroad to a partner country’s lab to develop and test the system in collaboration with coalition teammates. “This is not our standard operating procedure…The fact that the team was able to understand the system in two weeks, go to a partner country to develop the best mission data file is unheard of and is due to the talent here in the squadron and the wing,” emphasized the director of the U.S. Air Force’s specialized electronic warfare unit.
By working together with partner countries, the 68th EWS was able to test and verify the unique elements required by the Ukrainians and even improve the reprogramming processes for all parties involved. “Without combining efforts, this would not have been possible,” said the 68th EWS’s lead equipment specialist. “Working together as peers on a project is the only reason this happened.”
With this initiative, Ukraine has been incorporated as an official Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case for the 68th EWS, meaning the unit will provide reprogramming capabilities based on feedback from the Ukrainians. Traditionally, feedback from FMS cases is derived from training environments; however, in this case, combat-proven data will be provided to enhance capabilities.
It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Air Force officially presented its first batch of F-16 fighters in early August. Various sources confirmed that this initial batch did not exceed a dozen aircraft, so it was expected that these aircraft would not yet have a direct impact beyond providing air cover capabilities.
Regarding armament, the F-16s have so far only been presented in an air-to-air configuration, equipped with short-range AIM-9L/M Sidewinder missiles and medium-range AIM-120B AMRAAMs. This setup has led to speculation that the Ukrainian Air Force’s Fighting Falcons are currently conducting air defense operations.
Cover image illustrative. Credits: UAF
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