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The missile's rocket motor ignite via timing mechanism. It does not matter if you are 'upside' or 'upside down'. The ejector cartridges can 'kick' a weight of over 300 lbs out at about 30ft/sec. Pilots know that if they launch from positions other than 'upside' they will have to slightly maneuver away from the missile's gravity driven arc.
Three under-wing external tanks is the maximum limit on F-16. The smaller one is MXU-648 cargo pod.Isn't there supposed to be a 5th tank there?
Isn't there supposed to be a 5th tank there?
Pictures from F-16 Block 52 first ever ferry mission to Pakistan.
Quote of the Day“There are three rules for making a smooth landing: Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
-- Unknown
Advanced situational awareness – the next step for AIDEWS
24 September 2012
The Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) provides new and legacy fighter aircraft with advanced radar warning and radio frequency countermeasures. Julian Turner talks to Stuart Altman, ITT Exelis Electronic Systems AIDEWS business area lead, about the company's mission to equip allied forces with increased situational awareness and survivability.
Deployed by six military customers worldwide under the US Government foreign military sales (FMS) programme, the Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) is a next-generation radar warning system designed to provide F-16 pilots with situational awareness and protection against radar-based threats, including modern surface-to-air and air-to-air weaponry.
Related project
F-16 Fighting Falcon Multirole Fighter
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the first of the US Air Force multirole fighter aircraft, is the world's most prolific fighter.
Available as an internally installed system or an externally mounted pod, AIDEWS can be tailored to unique customer requirements to provide integrated radar warning and radio frequency (RF) countermeasures, along with advanced stand-alone radar warnings.
The original AIDEWS design is based on the ITT Exelis ALQ-211 Suite of Integrated RF Countermeasures (SIRFC), a modular, scalable system developed to protect rotary aircraft, such as the AH-64D Longbow Apache, the MH-47 and the MH-60, against RF air defence systems actively engaging the aircraft.
"We recognised that our F-16 pilots need the same type of protection, especially with the Block 50 and 52 aircraft that are currently in production and being sold internationally," said Stuart Altman, ITT Exelis Electronic Systems AIDEWS business area lead.
"Exelis decided to take a technology leap and incorporate state-of-the-art digital receiver capability and advanced digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) technology into the SIRFC system, and adapt it better for the F-16 fast-flyer environment."
Counting the cost: the modular technology revolution
"AIDEWS can be easily modified to be a radar warning receiver (RWR) only or a full RWR and jammer system."ITT Exelis, a specialist provider of electronic warfare and self-defence technologies, recently completed development of an externally mounted pod version of AIDEWS (pronounced 'eh-dooz'). The only electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod currently in production, it offers unrivalled scalability to the US Air Force (USAF) and its international allies as they look to provide pilots of new and legacy fighter aircraft with increased situational awareness and survivability in theatre.
"The pod-based system has completed its development and is in production now with our first customer," Altman tells me from the ITT Exelis Electronic Systems division in Clifton, New Jersey, US. "There are a lot of legacy aircraft out there, and F-16 users are looking to upgrade and protect their investment."
AIDEWS is based on modular electronic warfare (EW) technology, meaning upgrade costs are shared and affordable. New and legacy F-16 users have the advantage of sharing the exact same components for the internally mounted and external pod versions, significantly reducing the cost of ownership at a time when MoDs - hamstrung by swingeing budget cuts - are turning in ever greater number to the commercial aerospace sector in search of economies of scale, technical innovation and systems support.
"AIDEWS can be modified to be a radar warning receiver (RWR) only or a full RWR and jammer system by adding or removing modules," explains Altman. "For most aircraft today, the cost of integrating new on-board systems is beyond the customer's budget because of the extensive aircraft wiring changes required, while legacy aircraft may not have the real estate on board to accept the boxes. Being a modular system, AIDEWS is less expensive to upgrade for two primary reasons.
"One, newer capabilities such as increased bandwidth and more advanced software are available by simply adding a new digital receiver card or module. Two, the broad user base means the cost of an upgrade gets spread over a much larger number of users, making it a lot less expensive. The modularity of the AIDEWS system allows it to be continually upgraded, ensuring that our warfighters have the edge in any environment."
Testing times: AIDEWS design verification and deployment
ITT Exelis is currently in production, providing more than 180 AIDEWS suites for six nations. The ALQ-211 technology is already integrated into a plethora of US and allied defence rotary-wing and fighter aircraft, including the NH-90 helicopter, V-22 Osprey, MH-47 and MH-60 Black Hawk, as well as several commercial platforms.
AIDEWS, by its very nature and design, will continue to be in demand as allied air forces across the globe look to upgrade their F-16 fleets with reliable, effective countermeasures to complete the full gamut of mission requirements, be it close-air support, battlefield area interdiction, strike, suppression of enemy air defences or defence interception.
"AIDEWS is not a paper system," Altman states. "We are out there, we are flying and we can provide this proven off-the-shelf solution faster and at a significantly lower cost."
This news in from 2011PAF Orders AIDEWS Electronic Countermeasure System for Its F-16s
Pakistan Air Force has ordered Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS) for the Pakistani Air Force F-16 C/D Block 52M and F-16 AM/BM.
Under this Foreign Military Sales contract worth $49 million ITT Corporation will provide a pod-variant version of the AIDEWS.
Podded version of ITT's Advanced Integrated Defense Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS) ALQ-211(V)4 has already been selected by the other international customers to equip their F-16 fighters
The ALQ-211(V)4 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS) is an advanced derivative of the ITT Electronic Systems' ALQ-211 Suite of Integrated RF Countermeasures (SIRFC).
Seem to be a potent system!
nice addition to F-16.
PAF is also getting these AIDEWS Electronic Countermeasure System