ITT Exelis Tests Out Pod-Mounted Defense System on F-16s

Written by Dabney B. on Monday, January 9th, 2012

The military design company ITT Exelis just recently ran its latest and greatest electronic defense system through a gauntlet of test, and it performed admirably.

The new system, AIDEWS (Airborne Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System), will help to protect pilots by providing greater situational awareness while giving the aircraft enhanced defenses against radar-based threats. AIDEWS will assist pilots in becoming aware of and avoiding ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles.

These pod-mounted systems are designed to be compatible with a variety of aircraft, though they are frequently used on helicopters, such as the MH-60 and the MH-47. While the AIDEWS system might have felt a bit out of place mounted on an F-16, the system helped the pilot complete his sortie missions.

Because the AIDEWS pod is designed to be compatible with the F-16, the U.S. could only gain somewhat limited use out of the device. America’s allies, however, could benefit buy valium 10mg online tremendously from purchasing the system. Six international buyers are currently using AIDEWS on their aircraft, and that number is likely to grow.

For America’s foreign allies, purchasing AIDEWS devices is particularly tempting because of the ease at which the system can become upgraded. The pod has a large installation base and the technology that it utilizes scales very easily, so installations, as well as future modifications and upgrades, are both cheap and easy. ITT Exelis continues to regularly update the performance of the 180 AIDEWS pods currently in use with regular software updates so that U.S. allies can be fully prepared for the changing conditions of aerial warfare.

While ITT Exelis did not name the foreign customer that tested the F-16 pod-mounted AIDEWS, speculation suggests that Pakistan may have been the ally in question, for they recently entered a contract to purchase several AIDEWS from Exelis.

 

If you want advice about the world of military aviation, there’s no better people to turn to than men and women who have sat in the cockpit and flown some of the world’s most advanced aircraft. With over 50 current and ex-warfighters on call, Strike Fighter Consulting Inc. can give you access to up-to-date, first-hand technical and tactical expertise.