Radar Systems Upgraded on U.S. Air National Guard F-16s

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar has been installed on Air National Guard F-16s at Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the fourth U.S. Air Force base to receive these upgrades. The radar systems are being installed to meet a U.S. Northern Command Joint Emergent Operational Need (JEON) for homeland defense, extending the operational viability and reliability of the F-16 fleet while providing pilots with 5th-generation fighter radar capabilities to defend U.S. airspace.

The radar system, which operates under all weather conditions, uses high-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping to provide pilots with a large surface image for more precise target identification and strike capabilities. It incorporates proven hardware and advanced operating modes from Northrop Grumman’s fifth-generation F-35 and F-22 AESA radars. The high degree of commonality across the company’s AESA radar programs, as well as shared manufacturing processes and infrastructure, has resulted in enhanced efficiency and lower development costs.

The AN/APG-83 AESA is now an official program of record for both the active and reserve U.S. Air Force as well as the Guard following the procurement of service units for Air Combat Command and Air Force Reserve F-16 aircraft.

Mark Rossi, director of SABR programs at Northrop Grumman, commented: “SABR enables F-16 pilots to detect, track, identify and target a greater number of threats faster and at longer ranges from outside the threat envelope. This upgrade will keep the multirole F-16 fighter relevant and capable for decades to come.”