Northrop Grumman’s [NOC] APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) received its first production order from Lockheed Martin [LMT] for international F-16s, Northrop Grumman said on Feb. 2.
The SABR completed all design reviews less than four months before receiving this first order.
Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will provide 142 radars to Lockheed Martin as part of the Taiwan Air Force’s F-16 upgrade program. The first production system is set to be delivered to Lockheed Martin in 2016.
SABR is a multifunction, active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar, bringing fifth-generation air-to-air and air-to-ground radar capability to the F-16. “It will give the F-16 pilots unprecedented situational awareness, targeting and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,” the company said.
“The maturity of SABR’s design, coupled with our very experienced radar team, enabled us to bring all design reviews to a successful completion less than one year after contract award,” Jeff Leavitt, vice president for the combat avionics systems business unit at Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.
Company-developed AESA fire control radars are currently flying on the F-16 Block 60, F-22, and the F-35.