Northrop Grumman SABR selected for F-16 AESA upgrade
Northrop Grumman will supply its Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) for the US Air Force and Taiwan F-16 radar modernisation and upgrade programme, following the company’s competitive selection by Lockheed Martin.
Northrop Grumman’s SABR airborne fire control radar is a multifunction active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar designed for low risk retrofit in current F-16s and is scalable for integration in other aircraft. SABR provides improved situational awareness, greater detection, high-resolution SAR maps, automatic target cueing, electronic protection, interleaved air-to-air and air-to-surface mode operations, and all-environment precision strike capability.
Joseph Ensor, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s ISR and Targeting Systems Division, said: ‘The F-16 has been a front-line fighter for the air force for more than 30 years, and SABR will keep it there for decades to come. We built on our rich heritage of active electronically scanned array innovation to deliver fifth generation fighter radar capability to the F-16. SABR will provide F-16s unprecedented operational capability, greater reliability and viability in threat environments beyond 2025.’
Roderick McLean, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s F-16/F-22 Integrated Fight Group, added: ‘The conclusion of the AESA radar competition marks the next chapter in the Fighting Falcon’s ongoing evolution – the F-16V. This next generation radar will deliver unprecedented capabilities to the most widely used 4th generation fighter ever flown.’
Work on the F-16 AESA radar programme will be performed at Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector headquarters facility in Linthicum.
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces]()
British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces
The race between using ISR and resisting the use of it by enemies has accelerated, leading to new methods and systems being required, according to the British Army’s lead on its ISR efforts.
-
![Push for greater use of open source data, says senior British officer]()
Push for greater use of open source data, says senior British officer
The huge amount of open source data available may not carry the weight of secret sources but it does carry substantial value, according to speakers at Defence IQ C4ISR Global conference in London.
-
![Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract]()
Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract
The deal with Jacobs will run until November 2027 and will see the company deliver a range of digital and IT specialist professional services to Defence Digital.
-
![Orbit upgrades two multi-purpose terminals and carries out land testing]()
Orbit upgrades two multi-purpose terminals and carries out land testing
The communications company has upgraded two of its Beyond Line-of-Sight Multi-Purpose Terminals (MBTs) by introducing advancements in satellite communication technology and AI-driven maintenance capabilities.
-
![Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg]()
Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg
Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has announced that its subsidiary Kongsberg NanoAvionics will produce three satellites and launch them in 2025.
-
![First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched]()
First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched
In 2015, South Korea named a consortium of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems, along with Thales Alenia Space providing the SAR payload derived from its HE-R1000 product, as preferred bidder to develop new Korea 425 Project reconnaissance satellites.
