Angry Kittens? F-16 Falcons Bound for Middle East Are Now Bearing Some Interesting Hardware

Somewhere in the depths of the Pentagon, there have to be a couple of people whose job it is to think up names for various bits of military hardware, and once in a while, they hit one right in the ten ring. Case in point: Some F-16 Falcon fighters, deploying to the Azores and thence to the Middle East, have been seen to be carrying Angry Kitten electronic warfare pods.

A group of Block 52 F-16CJ Vipers belonging to the South Carolina Air National Guard was recently spotted heading east across the Atlantic as part of a huge build-up of U.S. forces ahead of potential strikes on Iran. Each of the Vipers was notably seen carrying an Angry Kitten pod, a new electronic warfare system that helps defend against anti-air threats, and that may now be headed for its first use in real combat. Angry Kitten also has a very unique genesis, which we will dive into in a moment. These particular F-16s are primarily tasked with the Wild Weasel mission and are optimized for neutralizing enemy air defenses, something that would be crucial in any future operation aimed at the regime in Tehran. They can fulfill many other types of missions, as well.

The 12 F-16CJs arrived at Lajes on the island of Terceira in the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, on February 17 and left the next day. The Vipers are readily identifiable as ones assigned to the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing by the “South Carolina” emblazoned on many of their tails, as well as distinctive markings reflecting the wing’s nickname, the “Swamp Foxes.” They were accompanied by at least one KC-46A Pegasus tanker. A substantial U.S. Air Force tanker force is now also forward-deployed in Lajes to support the ongoing build-up.

The development of Angry Kitten, which dates back to the early 2010s, was originally focused on providing improved electronic warfare capabilities for testing and training use, especially by aggressors playing the role of ‘red air’ adversaries. However, the potential value of the new pods as operational assets to help protect friendly aircraft quickly became apparent. The ability to rapidly adapt the pods in training to provide different effects simulating enemy systems, in particular, opened the door to a much more agile electronic system for use on real-world missions.

These aircraft with these electronic warfare pods would seem to be tailor-made for a tough mission: countering air defenses, in essence, flying in, identifying anti-air missile batteries and guns, and solving that problem with the suitable application of high explosives before the bad guys can react. They call these Wild Weasel missions, and it's something the Air Force has been doing since, at least, Vietnam. The F-16 is a pretty good platform for this mission.

It's also a mission that would be essential in clearing enemy airspace of hazards prior to other air-to-ground missions, in some random place, like, oh, say, Tehran.

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Watch:

Just noticed that all 12 SCANG Block 52 Vipers transiting LPLA were carrying Angry Kitten EA/EW pods en route to the Middle East. Fairly noteworthy for a lot of reasons. Can't ever recall seeing EKs on jets potentially heading into ops, likely the first instance? 📸 Kurt Mendonça pic.twitter.com/JQWZlCN31A

— Abd (@blocksixtynine) February 19, 2026

Continuing the US flexing of its muscles towards the Middle East... 15 USAF KC-46 tankers pictured today at Lajes AFB (Azores, Portugal) 📷 Kurt Mendonça pic.twitter.com/RW2ar1nAdU

— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) February 20, 2026

Between all this, two aircraft carrier task groups, much (if not all) of the Air Force's unmatched F-22 Raptors, all heading for or already in the region, the mullahs in Iran may be about to have a series of very, very bad days. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of barbarians.

Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.

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