Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 06/27/2026 6:18:33 AM PDT by maddog55
The U.S. military has now confirmed the acceptance of at least six F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the U.S. Marine Corps without radars. This is due to issues tied to the development of the new AN/APG-85 radar, the first production lot of which is scheduled to be delivered in 2028. The prospect of radarless F-35s had first emerged publicly back in February. The AN/APG-85 is a critical component of the larger Block 4 upgrade package for all variants of the F-35, an effort that has been mired in cost growth and delays.
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Masiello, head of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), disclosed the acceptance of the six radarless F-35Bs at a hearing before members of the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week. This came as part of a larger back-and-forth between Masiello and Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat and a retired naval aviator, about F-35 readiness rates across the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, which have long been a point of concern.
(Excerpt) Read more at twz.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Maybe they could transplant radar units from some old F-4s.
I checked with AI:
Using Radarless F‑35s
Radarless F‑35s — those delivered without the new AN/APG‑85 radar — can still perform many missions thanks to their advanced passive sensors and networked architecture, though they are limited in certain roles.
How they operate without radar:
—IRST and EOTS: The Electro‑Optical Targeting System (EOTS) on the fuselage and the infrared search and track (IRST) system allow pilots to detect, track, and engage targets without emitting radar signals, relying instead on heat signatures.
—Distributed Aperture System (DAS): Six infrared cameras around the aircraft provide 360° situational awareness, enabling target detection and tracking in air and ground environments.
—Networked warfare: The F‑35’s computers integrate data from other aircraft, satellites, and ground stations. If a networked wingman or other platform “paints” a target, the radarless F‑35 can still fire missiles.
—Ballast installation: To maintain balance, some radarless F‑35s carry ballast plates in the nose cone instead of the radar.
Mission capabilities:
—Air‑to‑air: Can engage targets if painted by another platform or if the pilot uses IRST/DAS to detect and track them. Cannot autonomously search for targets in the air without radar.
—Air‑to‑ground: Can still perform precision strikes using targeting pods, GPS/INS navigation, and data from other sources.
Training:
—Some radarless F‑35s are being used for training until retrofitted with the AN/APG‑85 radar.
Limitations:
—No onboard radar means no autonomous long‑range air‑to‑air search capability.
—Reduced situational awareness in contested environments where radar is jammed or denied.
—May be restricted from certain combat roles until radar is installed.
Operational context:
—The U.S. military is prioritizing rapid fielding of F‑35s to replace older fleets, so deliveries continue even without radars. The AN/APG‑85 radar is expected in 2028, but retrofits for existing radarless jets could be costly and time‑consuming Yahoo+1. In the interim, radarless F‑35s are integrated into networked operations, relying on partner platforms for radar data.
In short, radarless F‑35s can still fight and train effectively using passive sensors and networked data, but they are best used in roles where radar is not essential, such as ground attack, partner‑painted air‑to‑air engagements, and training until the new radar is available.
It’s like an F-117, A-10, or the Thunderbirds aerobatic team.
To be fair, the only countries that would need radar are those that take the lead. Support nations can probably do without them.
To be fair, I wanted to know why you would even fly one without radar. I’m retired USAF, and I know many a mishap and accident, often deadly, happened when onboard radar failed.
I do not believe that today’s military leadership are all dumb DEI hires, so why would General Masielo even approve this?
My question to the AI was:
How can The Marines use radarless F-35s?
Radar schmadar.
Alas Babylon,
You’ve either done some good research or know someone how has worked the system. Here’s what I found:
F-4 Phantom radars cannot be used in the F-35, nor can they use AESA antennas. The F-4’s legacy AN/APQ-120 system is a mechanical, 1960s-era pulse-Doppler radar. It cannot be retrofitted into an F-35, and it lacks the digital architecture to drive modern Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antennas.
The F-4E uses a legacy, mechanically scanned radar. The F-35 requires a highly advanced, integrated, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar (the AN/APG-81) that operates on a completely different sensor fusion framework and physical architecture.
And there ae a few physical differences that make the swap incompatible.
The F-4E’s radar antenna and components are much larger and heavier than the space allotted in the F-35’s nose, making them impossible to physically fit into the airframe.
The F-35 radar relies heavily on its own massive power supply and thermal management systems. 4th-generation hardware from the F-4E is entirely incompatible with the F-35’s sophisticated Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) computing architecture.
The forward bulkhead in modern F-35s is custom-built to mount AESA antennas.
So to mount the old doppler system into the new aircraft would not be cost effective for the change and would require a new nose for the F35’s. There is always the chance that they will acquire the new Northrop Grumman AN/APG-85 or be offered the older system currently in operation. Everyone knows what each other is doing anyway. Eyes re everywhere.
wy69
I would think that a strike aircraft without active radar would have certain desirable stealth capabilities when it comes to destroying enemy ground radar facilities...using only passive radar.
Retired USAF here too. ATC.
If they are radarless does that make them stealth?
I just presume those flying in support might not need all the shiny things as much as the US or Israel.
If delivery of the radar sets is delayed, what can be done. Use the planes to get crews trained and install the radars when delivered.
Ha, ha. Those old things were apparently unreliable as hell. The Radar shop had way, way, way more people than the other avionics shops for the same number of airplanes. And I'm pretty sure they had vacuum tubes.
Even so, the pilots didn't fully know how to use them. Many times, in maintenance debrief I'd hear the radar guys explaining to the pilots how the system worked in this mode or that mode and so, "No, sir, you need to use Mode ??? to do what you were trying to do".
SOUNDS LIKE A CAR WITHOUT A STEERING WHEEL
Lots of presumed expert opinions in this thread.
Has any one of them ever actually flown a fighter jet?
Did Boeing assocated?
The military industrial complex is about making money, not “defense” or “winning” wars.
Its a good way to leave a vehicle for safety...also remove the distributor contact.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.