Plant 42 Shooting | F-16 Upgrades | B-21 Single Pilot + WSO?

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Edited by: Sidney McAlear

FLIGHT LINE

🎯 Northrop Begins Production of IVEWS EW Suite for F‑16s

Northrop Grumman has moved its AN/ALQ‑257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) into production, with seventy-two units slated to be outfitted on USAF Block 50 F-16s. The ultra‑wideband system reportedly brings fourth‑generation jets close to fifth‑generation electronic warfare capability. (more)

Lowdown Debrief:
IVEWS is the only program of record EW suite tailored to the F‑16 and features advanced digital receivers/exciters that can detect, classify, and defeat modern radar and millimeter‑wave threats. The IVEWS has been touted as putting a “mini E/A-18 Growler” on the F-16.

The F-16 has been upgraded numerous times. While the upgrades are great, many of the components are fully compatible (e.g., turn on your jamming pod and wash out your radar — spiked by an enemy jet, and the radar warning receiver and radar don’t work to correlate the threat, etc). IVEWS is a massive step toward bringing offensive and defensive electronic warfare to the F-16 in the 21st century.

🎯 [Developing] Two Injured in Active-Shooter Incident at Air Force Plant 42

Security forces responded to an active-shooter alert at Air Force Plant 42 near Palmdale, California, around 1320 EST on 7 Nov 2025, prompting a full lockdown of the critical aircraft manufacturing complex. Two victims were wounded and treated on-site before transfer to local medical facilities (more)

Lowdown Debrief:
Plant 42 is a high-security government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility supporting production and testing of platforms like the B‑2 Spirit, B‑21 Raider, F-22, and RQ‑4 Global Hawk. Operated under the 412th Test Wing, the 5,832-acre complex employs over 8,500 personnel from contractors, including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing. Due to its role in classified aerospace programs, the site maintains heightened alert protocols, and incidents trigger immediate national-level security coordination.

🎯 Global Strike Command Recommends One Pilot Plus WSO for B‑21 Cockpit

The B‑21 Raider may shift to a crew of one pilot and one weapon‑systems officer (WSO), according to a memo from the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, a departure from traditional two‑pilot bomber configurations. (more)

 Lowdown Debrief:
The memo said the RAIDER’s mission demands a blend of advanced airmanship, weaponeering, spectrum management and real‑time battle replanning — skills the WSO would focus on while the pilot flies. Traditional bombers like the B‑2 Spirit use two pilots precisely to mitigate fatigue on ultra‑long sorties, but the B‑21’s high automation and digital architecture could allow re‑thinking of that model. If adopted, crews would train WSOs not just as mission system operators but to fly the bomber if needed, raising questions about long‑haul human‑performance and safety protocols in the next‑generation bomber era. The Air Force has already flown the KC-46 single-pilot and augmented with the Boom Operator. General Minihan, the former Mobility Commander, shared many of those stories on episode 110.

🎯 Fiber Laser Expert Convicted of Economic Espionage in DARPA Case

A federal jury convicted Ji Wang, 63, of stealing trade secrets from a DARPA-funded fiber laser program and attempting to use them to launch a government-backed defense tech business in China. Wang was found guilty of economic espionage and attempted theft of trade secrets and faces sentencing in April 2026. (more)

Lowdown Debrief:
Wang worked at Corning Inc. on a $11.4 million DARPA program to develop high-powered fiber lasers for counter-drone and missile defense applications. In 2016, he stole hundreds of sensitive files detailing manufacturing processes and later won a Thousand Talents Plan award from the Chinese government, which offered millions in investment to relocate. He marketed the stolen tech as suitable for installation on military vehicles such as tanks and sought to build a fiber laser firm in China with state-backed investors. The FBI and Department of Commerce disrupted the plan before he could commercialize the defense-sensitive designs.

🎯 Dutch to Open AMRAAM Missile Factory?

The Netherlands and the United States have launched a joint feasibility study to investigate local production of the AIM‑120 Advanced Medium‑Range Air‑to‑Air Missile (AMRAAM) in Dutch industry, marking the first time the missile would be co‑manufactured with a European NATO ally. (more)

Lowdown Debrief:
The study will explore how Dutch firms could contribute to production, assembly and maintenance of the AMRAAM, which is already used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force on its F‑35 fleet and by the country’s NASAMS ground‑based air‑defense systems. Deepening this transatlantic defense‑industrial cooperation is aimed at addressing current US export production shortfalls and accelerating missile delivery for NATO’s support to Ukraine and deterrence in Europe.

SNAPSHOT

🚩 China delays Shenzhou-20 reentry after suspected space debris strike; crew remains safe aboard Tiangong station. (more)

🚩 U.S. Army seeks up to 20 high-energy laser systems to counter drone swarms. (more)

🚩 China’s HQ‑9B air defense system gains momentum in export markets, challenging Western SAM dominance. (more)

Nuke Testing | Anduril CCA Takes Flight | 🎯 China's HQ-9 ←Seems like we just talked about this….

🚩 Multiple personnel fall ill at Joint Base Andrews after a suspicious package is opened; hazmat teams respond. (more)

🚩 USAF inspects entire KC-135 fleet after discovering falsified maintenance certifications tied to flight-control component. (more)

THREAT OF THE DAY (TOD)

Threat of the Day (TOD)

Threat: AN/APG‑83 SABR (Scalable Agile Beam Radar)
Country of Origin: United States
Initial Operational Capability: 2019
Primary Role: AESA fire control radar for 4th-gen fighter modernization. Replaces the APG-68 radar.
Proliferation: U.S. Air Force, Taiwan, South Korea, Greece, Singapore, others

Variants:
🔺 APG‑83(V)1 – Baseline SABR for F‑16 Block 40/50
🔺 APG‑83(V)2 – Configurable version for other 4th-gen platforms and international users.

Detection Range: Classified (estimated >80+ NM for fighter-sized targets)
Modes: Air-to-air, air-to-ground, maritime, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), ground moving target indicator (GMTI)
Targeting: Simultaneous multi-target track and engage; digital beamforming
ECCM/Resilience: Designed to operate in GPS-/EW-denied environments with high LPI/LPD performance
Form Factor: Drop-in replacement for legacy mechanically-scanned radars (e.g., APG-66, APG-68)

Fun Fact:
The APG‑83 shares over 95% software and 70% hardware architecture with the F‑22's APG‑77 and F‑35's APG‑81, giving upgraded F‑16s many 5th‑gen radar capabilities—without the stealth. It was developed by Northrop Grumman specifically to extend the F‑16's operational relevance in high-threat A2/AD environments well into the 2030s.