US Marine Corps gets six 'blind' F-35B stealth fighters loaded with lead ballast instead of advanced radars…
- Six new F-35Bs entered service carrying ballast inside their noses instead of radar
- The APG-85 delay created stealth fighters without their primary sensor
- Lot 17 redesign decisions eliminated compatibility with older radar hardware
The United States Marine Corps has accepted delivery of six newly built F-35B stealth fighters carrying ballast weights where a radar should be installed.
The aircraft left production lines without the AN/APG-85 radar that future F-35 variants are expected to rely upon for combat operations.
Instead of delaying delivery, officials accepted aircraft configured with dead weight occupying the nose section reserved for the missing equipment.
A new radar arrives before the aircraft can actually use it
The unusual situation emerged because Lot 17 aircraft were redesigned around the forthcoming AN/APG-85 radar architecture and mounting structure.
Those modifications prevent installation of the older AN/APG-81 radar, leaving no interim option while the replacement remains unavailable.
The radar is to...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to techradar.com. To see the full text click HERE
