|
|
|
New F-16 Radar Tested
|
|
 USAF began flight testing a new version of the Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)9 radar that will significantly improve the F-16’s performance in air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. The new radar, which is being flight tested at Edwards AFB, California, significantly improves detection range, resolution, growth potential, and supportability. The radar also takes advantage of current commercial off-the-shelf technology, both hardware and software, to provide a fivefold increase in processing speed and a tenfold increase in memory compared to the current APG-68 production radar. The increased capacity of the new processors also provides large growth potential. This technology is expected to provide a fifty percent increase in radar reliability to nearly 400 hours mean time between failures. Using off-the-shelf hardware also resolves existing issues with availability and cost of repair parts. Changes to this new version are considered more significant in both magnitude and capability than in all previous upgrades combined. The first version of the F-16C/D radar was introduced in 1984. |
|
|
