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U.S. Deploys F-16CJ Vipers With Angry Kitten Electronic Warfare Pods Toward Middle East Amid Iran Tensions.
Block 52 F-16CJ Vipers from the South Carolina Air National Guard were observed transiting the North Atlantic in mid-February 2026, carrying Angry Kitten electronic warfare pods, likely en route to the U.S. Central Command area. The deployment signals a potential reinforcement of U.S. suppression-of-enemy-air-defenses capabilities as tensions with Iran raise the prospect of high-intensity air operations.
In mid-February 2026, new imagery and videos shared on social media showed a formation of Block 52 F-16CJ Vipers from the South Carolina Air National Guard transiting eastbound across the North Atlantic, apparently on a long-range ferry flight toward the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. According to several YouTube videos and photographs taken by aviation photographer Kurt Mendonça and shared by the X-account @blocksixtynine, each aircraft was clearly carrying an Angry Kitten electronic warfare pod. The sighting comes as the United States continues a broader airpower build-up ahead of potential high-intensity operations against Iran, making any move involving specialized suppression-of-enemy-air-defenses assets particularly significant.
Block 52 F-16CJ Vipers from the South Carolina Air National Guard were spotted ferrying across the Atlantic with Angry Kitten electronic warfare pods, signaling a likely SEAD reinforcement to the CENTCOM theater amid rising tensions with Iran (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force / X-account:@blocksixtynine)
The use of Block 52 F-16CJ airframes is central to understanding the meaning of this deployment. These aircraft, part of the broader F-16 Fighting Falcon family, are single-engine, supersonic multirole fighters optimized in this configuration for the Wild Weasel role, combining advanced radar, electronic warfare suites, and the ability to employ AGM-88-series anti-radiation missiles for SEAD and DEAD (destruction of enemy air defenses) missions. When configured for these taskings, the Vipers typically integrate a sensor and datalink suite that allows them to geolocate hostile emitters, cooperate with other strike and escort platforms via Link 16, and generate both kinetic and non-kinetic effects against an integrated air defense system. Their redeployment into the CENTCOM theater, therefore, is less about generic fighter reinforcement and more about placing highly specialized anti-IADS assets within reach of Iranian territory and key regional chokepoints.
What makes this particular movement stand out is the Angry Kitten pod visible on each jet. Developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute as a modular electronic warfare system, Angry Kitten is built around a Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) architecture that can sample, store, and then retransmit radar and other RF signals in modified form. In practice, this enables the pod to conduct sophisticated jamming and deception, from traditional noise and barrage jamming to more subtle techniques such as range-gate and velocity-gate pull-off or false target generation against surveillance and fire-control radars. Initially designed as a training and test asset to simulate adversary electronic attack, the system has evolved into what U.S. sources now describe as a cognitive or software-defined EW pod capable of rapid reprogramming between sorties and dynamic adaptation to new threat waveforms. Seen on operational F-16CJs heading toward a potential combat theater, Angry Kitten appears poised to transition from a range-training capability into an operational self-protection and stand-in jamming tool.
In operational terms, the presence of Angry Kitten on Wild Weasel-configured Vipers has important implications for how a possible air campaign against Iran’s air defenses could be conducted. Iran fields a mixed integrated air defense system that includes Russian-supplied long-range SAMs, imported and locally produced medium-range systems, and a dense network of legacy radars and command-and-control nodes. In such an environment, SEAD/DEAD packages must deal not only with fixed strategic SAM sites but also with mobile batteries capable of emission control, shoot-and-scoot tactics, and frequency-agile radars. A DRFM-based pod able to rapidly learn and respond to new emitter behavior significantly increases the survivability of fourth-generation fighters such as the F-16CJ, especially in the first days of an offensive counter-air campaign when threat libraries are still being refined and real-time intelligence is incomplete.
Reporting by Army Recognition has already highlighted that these particular U.S. F-16CJ aircraft are primarily tasked with the Wild Weasel mission set and appear to be redeploying toward the Middle East for SEAD against potential Iranian targets. Within a larger force package, such jets would typically work in conjunction with airborne early warning platforms, standoff jamming aircraft, and strike and escort fighters to open corridors through the IADS. In that context, Angry Kitten-equipped Vipers could act as forward electronic attack nodes, pushing jamming and deception effects closer to high-value emitters while enabling other assets to remain at standoff range. Their mission profiles could include pre-strike shaping operations to degrade radar coverage, direct support to penetrating strike aircraft, and on-call reactive SEAD against pop-up threats detected by the air operations center.
The deployment of SEAD-optimized F-16CJs with adaptive EW pods underscores a broader U.S. shift toward modular and upgradable electronic warfare architectures. Rather than relying exclusively on dedicated electronic attack platforms, the U.S. Air Force is increasingly distributing EW capabilities across its tactical aviation fleet via pods that can receive new software loads and threat data between sorties. In a fast-moving crisis with Iran, this approach allows planners to tune the electronic order of battle as new intelligence emerges on radar relocations, changes in engagement procedures, or the activation of previously dormant systems. It also sends a signal to Tehran and regional actors that the United States is not merely massing aircraft but is deploying platforms specifically tailored to contest and, if necessary, dismantle modern air defenses using both electronic and kinetic means.
The recent imagery of South Carolina Air National Guard F-16CJ Vipers crossing the Atlantic with Angry Kitten pods on their pylons represents more than a routine rotation. It illustrates how legacy fourth-generation fighters are being kept operationally relevant against sophisticated threats through advanced electronic warfare and networked SEAD concepts. If tensions with Iran escalate into actual strikes, these aircraft are likely to be among the first manned platforms tasked with suppressing and degrading Iranian air defenses, creating windows of opportunity for other assets to operate. The combination of Wild Weasel expertise, adaptive EW pods, and a growing concentration of enablers in the region is a clear indicator that the United States is positioning not just numbers, but specialized capabilities, for any scenario that might unfold.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.