US modernised electronic warfare systems on F-16s transferred to Ukraine

The US military had contributed to the improvement of electronic warfare systems on the F-16 fighters that the Allies transferred to Ukraine.

As reported by US Air Force 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, the future Ukrainian aircraft were updated by the engineers of the 68th electronic warfare squadron, in collaboration with their Norwegian and Danish counterparts.

To successfully integrate the F-16s into the Ukrainian air force, their EW subsystems had to be reprogrammed to be effective against Russian threats.

The specialists faced a double problem: the system used on the F-16 is not in service in the United States, and there was only a short time to optimise the systems before the aircraft's delivery date.

Based on data from Denmark and Norway, the specialists investigated the system's design and developed approaches for reprogramming it. Together with partners, experts tested the updated systems and were able to improve the reprogramming processes for all parties.

As previously stated, Ukraine is an official customer of the 68th Squadron's services, allowing the unit to provide support as well as timely updates and modernisation of electronic warfare systems based on Ukrainian experience and recommendations.

Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway provided Ukraine with F-16 fighters.

On 4 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the first F-16 fighter had been delivered to Ukraine and posted footage of the jets at a secret airfield.

Before that, The Times reported that six fighters had arrived from the Netherlands, with several more on their way from Denmark.