AESA radar upgrade begins for ANG F-16s
The USAF has declared FOC for the its scalable agile beam radar (SABR) AESA radar on Air National Guard (ANG) F-16s.
This is to meet a US Northern Command Joint Emergent Operational Need for homeland defence, manufacturer Northrop Grumman noted in a 15 October statement.
The radar will operate with the official designation AN/APG-83.
Installations began in September, to extend the operational viability and reliability of the ANG F-16 fleet.
AN/APG-83 is a programme of record for active-duty and reserve USAF units as well as the ANG. The system features all-weather, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, to present the pilot with a large surface image for more precise target identification and strike compared to legacy systems.
The radar shares manufacturing processes, hardware and advanced operating modes with AESA sensors installed on F-22 and F-35 aircraft.
By providing pilots with fifth-generation fighter radar capabilities to defend US airspace, the upgrade ‘will keep the multirole F-16 fighter relevant and capable for decades to come’, claimed Mark Rossi, director of SABR programmes at Northrop Grumman.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Digital Battlespace
-
Airbus launches final CSO observation satellite for French Armed Forces
Airbus was awarded the Composante Spatiale Optique (CSO) contract at the end of 2010. This included an option for a third satellite, which was activated after Germany joined the programme in 2015.
-
Intelligence advantage: How real-time GEOINT is reshaping military decision-making (Studio)
In today’s contested operational environment, adaptability is key. The new Geospatial-Intelligence as a Service (GEO IaaS) solution from Fujitsu and MAIAR empowers militaries by enabling intelligence advantage, combining advanced technology with human expertise to deliver actionable insights.
-
Israel sets up new department to boost development of AI and autonomy
Israel will continue to develop autonomy for its weapons and platforms as it brings together defence personnel, academia and industry.
-
Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
-
Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
-
AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.