IDEX 2025: L3Harris Viper Shield “on timeline” as first upgrade customer launch targeted for mid-2025

L3Harris’s Viper Shield, an electronic warfare system, is aiming for the launch of its first upgrade customer for the Viper Shield by around mid-2025.

Speaking to Shephard at IDEX in Abu Dhabi, Travis Ruhl, director of international business development, and Viper Shield and EW lead for L3Harris, said that Viper Shield production is “on timeline”, finishing up its development cycle and on track for late-2025 deliveries.

L3Harris announced it had begun production of the Viper Shield in September 2024, with the US Air Force conducting the first flight test on the F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base in February 2025.

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According to Ruhl, L3Harris’ ultimate objective for Viper Shield production is to get to eight units a month – almost “doubling” the number of Block 70 aircraft coming off the line from Lockheed Martin. 

“We’ll be able to produce them [Viper Shield] faster than they’re producing new Block 70s,” Ruhl remarked, noting that 168 systems were on order as of 2024.

As for market focus, Ruhl elaborated that the international market is where the company is focused. The US is also on the table as a potential customer for a “pot of options”, Ruhl added, although talks remain in the initial stages. The company has previously stated that the US Air Force was not currently a customer of Viper Shield.

External pod and upgrade options

A core benefit of the Viper Shield lies in its ability to upgrade previous iterations of F-16 aircraft, some as far back as Block 20 variants, Ruhl claimed.

Ruhl added that L3Harris is also in discussion with Lockheed Martin about further upgrade pathways for the Viper Shield. Examples of upgrade options on the table include a millimetre wave radar which L3Harris has been developing to be included as a component for future upgrades, alongside geolocation and direction finding – the latter two of which are under “discussions” with various partners to help fund R&D.

L3Harris’ Viper Shield can also be configured as an external pod, which is reportedly attracting a “lot of interest” from potential customers. While it presents a “trade-off” in space on the F-16 aircraft, Ruhl expressed confidence that it would be an ideal solution for customers with older Block aircraft.

L3Harris is currently working towards testing requirements on its external pod system, Ruhl added, with the system sharing 100% commonality in hardware with the internal configuration.

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