Northrop Grumman has been selected by the US Air Force (USAF) to upgrade radars for Air National Guard’s F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft fleet.

The company said it will provide its APG-83 scalable agile beam radar (SABR) to enhance 72 F-16s to meet a US Northern Command Joint Emergent Operational Need for homeland defence.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

The radar upgrade is expected to extend the operational viability and reliability of the aircraft and provides pilots with fifth-generation fighter radar capabilities to counter and defeat increasingly sophisticated threats, Northrop stated.

Northrop Grumman combat avionics systems vice-president Bob Gough said: “Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar upgrades are critically important to give the F-16 community the tactical advantage it deserves, and we are honoured to provide this differentiating technology for the safety and mission effectiveness of our warfighters.

“The APG-83 SABR system is in full-rate production and available now for US and international F-16 upgrades.”

"The radar upgrade is expected to extend the operational viability and reliability of the aircraft and provides pilots with fifth-generation fighter radar capabilities to counter and defeat increasingly sophisticated threats."

With greater bandwidth and speed, Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 SABR allows the F-16 to detect, track and identify more targets faster and at longer ranges.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Designed to operate in hostile electronic environments, the radar features all-weather, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, which provides the pilot with a large surface image-enabling precision target identification and strike.

The APG-83 SABR has also been selected by a growing number of international customers and is the base radar for Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70, according to the company.

Equipped with a Sniper advanced targeting pod, advanced weapons, precision GPS navigation and auto ground collision avoidance system, the 49.3ft-long F-16 can travel at a speed of 1,500mph.

Image: Northrop to upgrade radars for Air National Guard’s F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft fleet. Photo: courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corporation.