Portugal joins Embraer and Brazil on C-390 ISR capabilities study
The ongoing study was first announced by Embraer in late 2024 with the Brazilian Air Force, with this latest addition announced during the LAAD defence and security exhibition.
According to L3Harris, Viper Shield has been engineered to allow for future capability upgrades, allowing to adjust to an evolving EW spectrum environment. (Photo: L3Harris)
L3Harris has completed the safety of flight (SOF) test qualification for its Viper Shield AN/ALQ-254 electronic warfare (EW) suite. The system can be provided as part of an F-16 platform upgrade for Block 70/72 fighters, or in a new build procurement, the company said.
Throughout the test, the Viper Shield successfully handled the strains for normal and extreme flight manoeuvres and passed a series of environmental and electronic tests, the company claimed, making it now fit for flight testing.
“Completing the comprehensive SOF evaluation is a significant milestone for Viper Shield and for our growing list of global customers,” said Ed Zoiss, president – space and airborne systems at L3Harris.
L3Harris on track to deliver Viper Shield in 2025
According to Zoiss, the EW system will begin flight testing “soon” and start delivering its capabilities in late 2025. L3Harris announced that Viper Shield had entered production on 17 September 2024. The company claimed that it was the only advanced EW solution that is funded and in active production for countries who operate F-16s.
Poland is one of the six international countries set for an upgrade to its F-16 fleet, with a request for 73 integrated Viper Shield EW suits as part of a Foreign Military Sales deal approved by the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in October 2024.
As noted by Shephard Defence Insight, the Viper Shield is intended provide US allies with cutting-edge countermeasures against sophisticated and ever-changing threats.
The ongoing study was first announced by Embraer in late 2024 with the Brazilian Air Force, with this latest addition announced during the LAAD defence and security exhibition.
The potential sale, approved by the US to the Philippines, is for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, days after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth visited the country.
The acquisition of four C-390 aircraft follows the country’s signing of an MoU in 2023 and formal selection in 2024. It will join the existing contract held by the Netherlands and Austria.
The counter-UAS prototype, named Low-cost Air Defence or ‘LOAD’, will be used to combat kamikaze UAS.
The aircraft is the first of 66 to be delivered to Taiwan from Lockheed Martin.
The contract award, worth $240 million, is part of the ongoing effort by the US Army to modernise its Block II Chinook rotorcraft fleet.