Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force)
A number of the F-16 fighter jets the United States sent to the Middle East in recent days amid the escalation with Iran were reportedly from a version especially optimized to carry out what is known as suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) operations.
Open-source aviation tracking data and related reports suggest that as many as 46 U.S. F-16s may have been flown from bases in the U.S. and Europe toward the broader Middle East on February 17 and 18, with around 24 reportedly from the “Wild Weasel” version.
The fighter jets involved came from the 169th Fighter Wing based at McEntire Joint National Guard Base in South Carolina and the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, with additional movements noted from Aviano Air Base in Italy.
F-16CJ Wild Weasel fighter jets are typically equipped with the AN/ASQ-213 HARM targeting system (HTS). The targeting pod is capable of tracking and locating hostile radar systems in any weather, and identifying them to allow for usage of the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) missile or other air-to-ground weapons.
The latest version of the HARM is the AGM-88E version, also known as the Advanced Anti Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM).
This version has a top speed of Mach 2.9 and a maximum range of up to 148 kilometers, depending on the flight profile. It carries a 68-kg warhead.
In addition to its main passive radar homing, the AARGM is equipped with a GPS-aided inertial navigation system (INS). This allows the missile to hit radiation-emitting targets even if they were turned off. It also enables it to attack all sorts of static ground targets, if their coordination were installed before launch.
The main feature of the AARGM is its active millimeter radar seeker that allows it to engage moving radiation-emitting targets.
These fighter jets are also a main launch platform for the ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD). The decoy carries a Signature Augmentation Subsystem (SAS) which is composed of various active radar enhancers which cover a range of frequencies. The SAS can in theory simulate any aircraft, from heavy bombers to fighter jets.
The miniature decoy is designed to loiter for a relatively long period of time, with speed of Mach 0.9 and an operational range exceeding 900 kilometers.
In addition, the F-16CJ can carry the AN/ALQ-184 electronic countermeasures (ECM) pod, which uses high-power, multi-band, and digital jamming to disrupt enemy radar tracking and air defenses.
Wild Weasel fighter pilots are trained to deliberately enter contested airspace, provoke enemy radar operators to switch on their systems, and then rapidly target those emitters before they can engage friendly aircraft.
The deployment of Wild Weasel fighter jets in the Middle East indicates that an attack by the U.S. against Iran may be around the corner.
In case of an attack, the F-16CJs will play a key role in SEAD operations, although the lead will likely be taken by stealth fighter jets like the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, as well as EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets. F-35s and EA-18Gs are already in the region, specifically at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan and aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The F-22s are in Europe on their way.
Iran lost dozens of radar and air defense systems during the 12-day June war, which saw Israel gaining aerial superiority over the western and central region of the Islamic Republic. Most of these systems were not hit from the air in a SEAD operation, however. They were targeted by cells of the Mossad spy agency armed with loitering munitions and guided missiles.
Since the end of the war Iran has been working to rebuild its air defense network, reportedly with help from China and Russia. However, in the case of an attack by the U.S., it will be hard to imagine the Islamic Republic maintaining control of its airspace, especially that it is still unclear if the security issues that caused the previous infiltrations have been addressed.
The best option for Iranian air defenses will likely be to set up ambushes to at least limit the freedom of operations for U.S. warplanes.
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