European Investor
03 Sep 2026, 16:33
L3Harris Completes First 35 F-16 Viper Shield Electronic Warfare Systems
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has completed production of the first 35 Viper Shield electronic warfare systems for the global F-16 fleet, marking an important production milestone as the defense contractor prepares to increase output.
Viper Shield is designed to detect, identify and counter electronic threats, effectively providing a digital defensive layer around the aircraft. The technology can operate as an internally integrated system or through an external pod, and L3Harris has also assembled its first pod using production systems.
Demand for the system is expanding internationally. L3Harris said Viper Shield is currently the only F-16 electronic warfare system in production with orders from eight allied nations. The company is ramping toward full-rate production to fulfill 233 systems already on order, providing a meaningful production backlog for its electronic warfare business.
The program has also benefited from approximately $1 billion of shared investment by countries operating F-16s. That funding is supporting development, laboratory and flight testing and current production. L3Harris argues that the investment could make the system more attractive to the U.S. Air Force and National Guard by allowing them to join an established program without bearing the same upfront development costs.
Viper Shield was developed for new F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft and is interoperable with the APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, while remaining compatible with earlier F-16 variants. Its software-defined, all-digital architecture uses commercial-off-the-shelf technology to reduce size and weight and make future upgrades easier.
For L3Harris, moving from development and testing into higher-volume production strengthens its position in the airborne electronic warfare market. With 233 systems already ordered and additional F-16 operators potentially able to join an active production program, Viper Shield could provide the company with further international defense opportunities as countries invest in improving aircraft survivability against increasingly sophisticated electronic threats.
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has completed production of the first 35 Viper Shield electronic warfare systems for the global F-16 fleet, marking an important production milestone as the defense contractor prepares to increase output.
Viper Shield is designed to detect, identify and counter electronic threats, effectively providing a digital defensive layer around the aircraft. The technology can operate as an internally integrated system or through an external pod, and L3Harris has also assembled its first pod using production systems.
Demand for the system is expanding internationally. L3Harris said Viper Shield is currently the only F-16 electronic warfare system in production with orders from eight allied nations. The company is ramping toward full-rate production to fulfill 233 systems already on order, providing a meaningful production backlog for its electronic warfare business.
The program has also benefited from approximately $1 billion of shared investment by countries operating F-16s. That funding is supporting development, laboratory and flight testing and current production. L3Harris argues that the investment could make the system more attractive to the U.S. Air Force and National Guard by allowing them to join an established program without bearing the same upfront development costs.
Viper Shield was developed for new F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft and is interoperable with the APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, while remaining compatible with earlier F-16 variants. Its software-defined, all-digital architecture uses commercial-off-the-shelf technology to reduce size and weight and make future upgrades easier.
For L3Harris, moving from development and testing into higher-volume production strengthens its position in the airborne electronic warfare market. With 233 systems already ordered and additional F-16 operators potentially able to join an active production program, Viper Shield could provide the company with further international defense opportunities as countries invest in improving aircraft survivability against increasingly sophisticated electronic threats.
