ITT Exelis has completed extensive electromagnetic compatibility testing of its Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite, or AIDEWS, at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

AIDEWS provides pilots with situational awareness and protection against radar-based threats, including modern surface-to-air and air-to-air weapon systems.

The testing, part of the qualification process for the Pakistan F-16 upgrade program, was conducted to ensure AIDEWS will work with other systems integrated into the aircraft, and verify that the multiple systems will not interfere with one another. This chamber-based testing also helps to reduce the amount of flight testing needed to verify the electronic warfare system’s performance, reducing cost and time to qualify a system.

Six weeks of testing, at Edwards AFB, was performed on multiple radio frequency systems operating simultaneously in an F-16 carrying the AIDEWS pod. The team measured pod antenna patterns on the F-16, as well as system interoperability between the AIDEWS jamming pod, fire control radar and ALR-69 Radar Warning Receiver.

“This milestone speaks volumes about our system’s capability and maturity. This kind of comprehensive testing shows we already have a well-integrated, effective system to protect the F-16, and we’ll be using the results of this testing to make the system even better,” said Stuart Altman, Exelis Electronic Systems business area lead for AIDEWS.