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4h ago

Poland Picks L3Harris Viper Shield for F-16V Upgrade as $3.8 Billion Plan Advances

The move locks in the electronic-warfare core of Warsaw’s F-16 modernization under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.

Polish F-16C Block 52+ jets in flight. (Image credit: Bartek Bera/Poland MoD)

Overview

  • L3Harris said on Aug. 28 that Poland selected the AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield suite for installation as 48 F-16C/D jets are upgraded to the F-16V Block 72 standard.
  • Viper Shield integrates with the APG-83 AESA radar and uses digital radio-frequency memory jamming, with deliveries reported to begin in late 2025.
  • Lockheed Martin is the prime under a roughly $3.8 billion LOA concluded earlier in August, and the upgrade work will be performed in-country at Military Aviation Works No. 2 in Bydgoszcz.
  • The package also adds Elbit’s PAWS-2 infrared missile warning, RTX’s MMC 7000AH mission computer and MS-110 reconnaissance pod, and an upgraded Sniper targeting pod with a two-way data link.
  • Design changes target a 12,000-flight-hour service life, the contract specifies canopy sill longeron replacements on 36 single-seat F-16Cs, and jets will receive a new Martin-Baker US18E ejection seat.