Northrop to Provide Beam Radar Tech for Air Force F-16 Aircraft

The U.S. Air Force has chosen a Northrop Grumman-built beam radar technology to serve as the active electronically scanned array for the service branch’s F-16 aircraft.

Northrop said Wednesday it will install APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar systems on 72 of the Air National Guard’s F-16 units in an effort to help the service branch comply with a “joint emergent operational need” for homeland defense that was determined by the U.S. Northern Command.

Bob Gough, vice president of Northrop’s combat avionics systems business, said the company seeks to help increase the safety and mission effectiveness of the country’s service members the SABR technology.

“The APG-83 SABR system is in full rate production and available now for U.S. and international F-16 upgrades,” Gough added.

The Air Force will modernize its F-16 radar in a push to extend operational viability and capacity of the fighter aircraft to defend against evolving threats.

APG-83 is equipped with synthetic aperture radar mapping technology that works to help pilots identify, detect and track multiple targets at a long range even in hostile electronic environments, Northrop said.