Northrop Grumman's APG-68(V), APG-80(V) and SABR Competing for F-16 Radar Role

source defense-update.com

August 26, 2011 T. Hartley, Forecast International – defpro.com

NEWTOWN, Conn. | Northrop Grumman designed the APG-68(V) for air superiority and strike fighter missions, and to provide the F-16C/D with all-weather air-to-air, and air-to-ground capabilities, as well as advanced dogfight and weapons delivery capabilities. The APG-80(V) is the baseline radar for the Block 60 F 16E/Fs procured by the United Arab Emirates, and it incorporates several upgrades.

Contracts for the APG-68/80 radars are based on sales of the F/A-16 aircraft. The current backlog includes F-16 orders from Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. Some countries see the F-16C/D aircraft as a stopgap until the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is available, while others see the F-16 with the APG-80(V) radar as a cheaper alternative to the F-35 JSF. However, there are several aircraft that compete for this market share, including the Boeing F-15E and F/A-18E/F, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG MiG-35, and Saab Gripen. Additionally, Northrop Grumman's SABR (scalable agile beam radar) and Raytheon's RACR (Raytheon advanced combat radar) promise active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology and performance with lower price tags than other AESA radars. Both radars are being designed as retrofits for F-16 aircraft and they will eventually erode the APG-68/80's marketability.

Production of the F-16, and therefore the APG-68(V) and APG-80(V) radars, is expected to end in 2016. But according to Forecast International's Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon report, it is possible that new orders could extend production of this venerable fighter and its radars through and beyond 2020. The availability of SABR and/or RACR will probably keep the timeline for the end of APG-68(V) and APG-80(V) sales closer to 2016. Forecast International is currently updating its APG-68(V)/APG-80(V) market intelligence report, included in the Electronic Systems Service. The Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon market intelligence report is featured in FI's Military Aircraft Forecast Service.