U.S. Air Force, Chilean Air Force, and ITT Exelis complete flight testing for international Advanced Defensive Electronic Warfare System

CLIFTON, N.J., 12 Sept. 2012. Officials from the Chilean Air Force, U.S. Air Force, and ITT Exelis (NYSE:XLS) have demonstrated the latest air-to-air electronic warfare enhancements in the Advanced Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS) during a series of multi-ship F-16 missions.

Pilots of Fuerza Area de Chile (FACh) Squadron No 3 at Los Condores Air Base, Chile, flew six missions on F-16 Block 50 aircraft between 4 July and 18 July 2012. These missions demonstrated the performance of AIDEWS Block 5.2 against multiple airborne fire control radars with overlapping operating frequencies. These flights mark the culmination of a year of planning and coordination by FACh and U.S. personnel, as well as extensive laboratory and flight testing in the U.S. At the conclusion of flight operations, FACh officials expressed confidence in AIDEWS as a “critical operational asset.”

“Electronic warfare technology is constantly advancing,” says Stuart Altman, Exelis Electronic Systems business area lead for AIDEWS. “These test flight successes demonstrate our commitment to having the best possible technology to ensure our international allies can complete their missions, avoiding and defeating any threats, and returning safely.”

The updated Block 5.2 configuration supports the upcoming delivery of combat-capable electronic warfare mission data to five countries with AIDEWS equipped F-16s.

AIDEWS is built upon the ALQ-211 family of electronic warfare systems, used to support a broad range of U.S. and allied defense customers on many aircraft, including versions of the CV-22, MH-47, MH-60, F-16, Boeing 737s, and NH-90. The system is currently in full production with more than 160 systems under contract for six nations as part of the F-16 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.