F-16의 전자전 능력 보강이 필요함

[위종민]

미공군과 주방위군이 보유한 F-16엔 ALQ-257 IVEWS가, 해외에 수출되는 블록 70/72엔 ALQ-254 바이퍼 실드가 장착되는데 ALQ-257의 생산 예정 수량이 전체 F-16의 절반 가량이라서 남는 기체에 외국이 돈대서 예산 절약할 수 있는 바이퍼 실드 사서 붙이라고 홍보하는 기사네요 ㅎㅎㅎ 

L3Harris의 바이퍼 실드 전자전 체계가 에드워즈 공군기지에서 2기 편대 비행시험을 완료했다.

유료 광고

미 공군이 전자전에 투자해야 하는 이유

2026년 10월 1일 | 랜스 랜드럼 미 공군 예비역 중장

미국 공군 전력은 현재 전투작전에 참여하고 있으며, 모든 항공기가 B-2, F-22, F-35 같은 현대적인 스텔스 플랫폼인 것은 아니다. 오랜 기간 운용돼온 록히드마틴 F-16 파이팅 팰컨은 여전히 미 공군 전투기 전력의 중추이며 앞으로도 20년은 더 운용될 예정이다. 그러나 Operation Urgent Fury의 전투작전은 이 기체가 현대적인 위협환경에서 생존하기 위해 전자기전(EW) 성능개량이 필요하다는 점을 입증한다.

전자기 스펙트럼(EMS) 전반의 주파수와 파형 특성에 대한 우리의 지식, 그리고 하드웨어와 소프트웨어를 이용해 이를 조작하는 능력은 엄청나게 발전했다. 우리는 추적, 정보수집, 통신, 재밍, 레이더를 비롯한 수많은 용도를 위해 이러한 지식과 능력을 지속적으로 활용한다. 불행히도 우리의 적들도 마찬가지다.

F-16 조종사가 생존하면서 전투임무를 수행하려면 우선 레이더경보수신기(RWR)를 통해 지대공미사일이나 공대공 레이더 같은 적의 위협체계를 탐지해야 하며, 그다음에는 무선신호를 조작해 유도체계를 직접 재밍하거나 속여서 무력화하는 전자대응책(ECM)으로 위협에 대응해야 한다. 그렇게 간단하기만 하다면 좋겠지만 현실은 그렇지 않다.

2023년 우크라이나군 총사령관 발레리 잘루즈니 장군은 러시아와의 전쟁이 정적인 참호전으로 굳어진 이유 다섯 가지를 열거한 논문을 작성했다. 그는 제공권, 대포병 사격, 지뢰지대 제거, 예비전력과 함께 전자기전의 결정적 중요성과 빠른 적응을 꼽았다.

전자기 스펙트럼은 우리의 모든 체계를 지속적으로 서로 연결해주고, 행동을 조율하며, 적을 탐지하고, 위협을 기만하며, 생존하고 승리할 수 있도록 해주는 조직과도 같다. EMS가 미치는 비대칭적 영향을 인식한 러시아와 중국은 모두 전자기전에 특화된 별도의 군종과 상급 지휘부를 창설했다.

EMS에서의 우위는 지상, 해상, 우주, 사이버 등 모든 전투영역에서 중요하지만, 특히 항공작전에서는 더욱 중요하다.

미 공군은 F-16 전력 일부에서 EMS의 우선순위를 다시 높였지만, 현역, 주방위공군, 예비군에 남아 있는 F-16 전력의 약 50%는 전자전 방호능력을 갖추지 못하게 되며, 앞으로 이를 어떻게 해결할지에 대한 명확한 계획도 없다.

국제 파트너들은 지난 7년 동안 자국 F-16용 바이퍼 실드 체계를 조달하는 데 10억 달러 이상을 투자했다. 미 공군은 전자전 포드를 추가하고 해외 투자를 활용해 납세자의 비용을 절감할 수 있다. 이러한 해외 투자는 현재 운용형 바이퍼 실드 체계의 개발, 실험실 시험, 비행시험, 양산에 자금을 제공하고 있으며, 이는 미 공군이 초기 비용을 피하면서 막대한 비용을 절감할 기회를 제공한다.

미 공군이 F-16 전자전 능력의 공백을 해소하기 위한 방안을 검토하는 가운데, 적당한 수량의 첨단 전자전 포드는 잠재적인 사업 지연 위험을 완화하고 F-16 전력 전체의 유연성을 극대화하며 대규모 내부 개조 필요성을 줄이면서 단기간에 능력을 확보하기 위한 합리적인 지출이 될 것이다.

또한 바이퍼 실드의 포드형은 파견되는 비행대 사이에서 체계를 순환 배치하고, 훈련기간 동안 여러 작전부대가 이를 공유하며, 항공기를 비행 일정에서 제외하지 않고도 정비할 수 있는 최대한의 유연성을 제공한다.

현재, 그리고 앞으로 20년 넘게 F-16을 조종할 조종사들은 바이퍼 실드 같은 전자전 포드가 전투에서 제공하는 능력을 누릴 자격이 있다.

랜스 랜드럼 미 공군 예비역 중장은 30년 넘게 F-16 무기학교 교관과 실전 전투기 조종사로 복무했으며 여러 해외 파견지에서 전자기전의 중요성을 직접 체험하는 전투경험을 쌓았다. 합동참모본부 J8 요구 및 능력개발 부국장으로 재직할 당시 그는 현재 미국의 EMS 우위전략과 후속 실행계획을 수립한 범정부 전자기 스펙트럼 작전 범기능팀을 창설하고 지휘했다. 그의 견해는 이러한 경험과 더불어 미 유럽사령부 J3 및 NATO 군사위원회 부의장으로서 EMS 능력을 강화하기 위해 기울인 노력에 바탕을 두고 있다.

Why the US Air Force Needs to Invest in Electronic Warfare | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Why the US Air Force Needs to Invest in Electronic Warfare | Air & Space Forces Magazine

L3Harris’ Viper Shield electronic warfare system completed two-ship flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base.

Expand Photo

Paid Advertisement

Why the US Air Force Needs to Invest in Electronic Warfare

Oct. 1, 2026 | By Lt. Gen. Lance Landrum, USAF (Ret.)

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Share Article

United States air forces are engaged in combat operations today, and not all the aircraft are modern stealthy platforms like the B-2, F-22, or F-35. The venerable Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon remains the backbone of the U.S. Air Force fighter fleet and will be in service for two more decades, yet combat operations in Operation Urgent Fury prove it needs electromagnetic warfare (EW) upgrades to survive in modern threat environments.

Our knowledge of the frequencies and waveform characteristics across the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) and our ability to manipulate them with hardware and software have grown tremendously. We harness our knowledge and capabilities continuously for tracking, intelligence, communication, jamming, radar, and many other applications. Unfortunately, so do our adversaries.

To survive and accomplish combat missions, F-16 pilots need to first detect enemy threat systems, like surface-to-air missiles or air-to-air radars, via a Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and then counter the threat with Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) that manipulate radio signals to jam guidance systems outright or deceive them in such a way that makes them ineffective. If it were only that easy.

In 2023, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukraine Armed Forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, wrote a paper listing five reasons why the war with Russia had ground into static trench warfare. He cited the critical importance and rapid adaptation of electromagnetic warfare along with air superiority, counter artillery battery fires, minefield clearing, and reserve forces. 

The electromagnetic spectrum is the tissue that continuously connects all our systems together and allows us to coordinate our actions, detect adversaries, deceive threats, survive, and win. Acknowledging the EMS’s asymmetric impact, both Russia and China created separate branches of service and senior commands specifically focused on electromagnetic warfare.

While superiority in the EMS is critical across all warfighting domains: land, sea, space, and cyber, it is particularly important in air operations. 

While the U.S. Air Force has re-prioritized EMS for a portion of the F-16 fleet, approximately 50% of the remaining F-16 aircraft fleet across the active duty, Air National Guard, and Reserves will not have EW protection with no clear plan going forward.

International partners have invested over $1B in procuring Viper Shield systems for their F-16s over the past seven years. The Air Force could add EW pods and leverage foreign investment to save taxpayer money. This foreign investment is funding development, lab testing, flight testing, and current production of operational Viper Shield systems, which presents the U.S. Air Force with a massive savings opportunity to avoid those upfront costs. 

As the Air Force considers options to resolve the F-16 EW capability gap, a modest number of advanced EW pods would be a reasonable expense for near-term capability to mitigate against potential program delays, maximize flexibility across the F-16 fleet, and reduce invasive internal modifications. 

Furthermore, the pod version of Viper Shield offers maximum flexibility to rotate systems across deploying squadrons, share them among operational units during training periods, and maintain them without taking an aircraft off the flying schedule.

F-16 pilots today – and for the next 20+ years – deserve the capability an EW pod like Viper Shield brings to the fight.

Lt. Gen. Lance Landrum, USAF (Ret.), served over 30 years as an F-16 Weapons Instructor and operational fighter pilot in several deployed locations developing firsthand combat experience on the importance of Electromagnetic Warfare. During his role as the Joint Staff J8 Deputy Director for Requirements and Capability Development, he stood up and led the interagency Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Cross Functional Team that developed the current U.S. EMS Superiority Strategy and subsequent implementation plan. His insights are based on that experience and from his efforts to champion EMS capabilities as the U.S. European Command J3 and Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee.

[백선호]

우리는 단종되어 유지보수도 안되는 것을... ㅠ.ㅠ

[위종민]

ASPJ는 제대로 작동이나 하고 있을지 모르겠네요 ㅜㅜ