the EW-16A replaced the EW-15 boasting a higher top speed and a fresh avionic suite improving throttle control and tune ability whilst retaining the signature manoeuvrability and range of its predecessor. however the aircraft suffered from over development possessing an internal weapons bay and retractable machine guns. these improvements whilst aerodynamically practical suffered following the missile update program designed to replace the antiquated weapons used on previous aircraft and whilst the internal weapons bay was well suited to the old R1 viper missiles the newer R2 vipers faster speeds often resulted in the destruction of the new expensive aircraft due to missiles colliding with the nose of the aircraft. this combined with the low payload of 4 missiles and 200 rounds of low calibre ammunition resulted in the aircraft's early retirement.
due to the high development costs of the aircraft the surviving air frames were converted into EW-16B variants to avoid wasting the air frames.
