Overview
- An Air Force spokesperson said Lot 17 F-35As are delivering with APG-81 radars and noted that modernization plans and schedules are classified.
- The denial follows a Defense Daily report, echoed by 19FortyFive, that alleged radar-less deliveries since June 2025, which the F-35 program office had previously neither confirmed nor denied citing enhanced security measures.
- Rep. Rob Wittman and recent reporting point to a bulkhead and mounting mismatch between the APG-81 and next‑generation APG-85 that complicates installation on Lot 17 airframes.
- Sources cited by 19FortyFive have suggested a universal dual mount to accept both radars could take roughly two years to develop, a claim not confirmed by the program office.
- Northrop Grumman is developing the APG-85 as part of the Block 4 upgrades that the GAO says are delayed to at least 2031, with integration also tied to broader power and cooling improvements noted by The War Zone.