Thumpalumpacus
Colonel
The F-35 Joint Program Office has declined to confirm or deny a report that Joint Strike Fighters are being delivered to the U.S. military without radars due to chronic issues with a key upgrade program. However, other confirmed publicly available information does seem to very strongly point to that being the case. The new AN/APG-85 radar is a critical element of the larger Block 4 upgrade package for all variants of the F-35, which has been mired in cost growth and delays.
Defense Daily first reported that the U.S. military had received F-35s with no radars last week, citing an unnamed source. Deliveries of radar-less F-35s were said to have started in June 2025, with all A models for the U.S. Air Force arriving since then, at least, affected. The story does not elaborate on how the decision to accept jets in this configuration was arrived at. Foreign customers, all of whom are still currently acquiring jets fitted with the older AN/APG-81 radar, have reportedly not been impacted.
"F-35 Lightning II aircraft are being built to accommodate the F-35 advanced radar (APG-85) for [the] U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps," a spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) told TWZ today in response to our queries in light of the Defense Daily report. "Initial fielding for some F-35 aircraft is planned for Lot 17, which began delivery in 2025 and continues through September 2026."
"Due to program security reasons, we are protecting any additional information with enhanced security measures."
TWZ also reached out to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-35, which deferred to the JPO. Northrop Grumman, which is developing the APG-85 radar, also declined to comment.
www.twz.com
What the actual f&*k?
Defense Daily first reported that the U.S. military had received F-35s with no radars last week, citing an unnamed source. Deliveries of radar-less F-35s were said to have started in June 2025, with all A models for the U.S. Air Force arriving since then, at least, affected. The story does not elaborate on how the decision to accept jets in this configuration was arrived at. Foreign customers, all of whom are still currently acquiring jets fitted with the older AN/APG-81 radar, have reportedly not been impacted.
"F-35 Lightning II aircraft are being built to accommodate the F-35 advanced radar (APG-85) for [the] U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps," a spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) told TWZ today in response to our queries in light of the Defense Daily report. "Initial fielding for some F-35 aircraft is planned for Lot 17, which began delivery in 2025 and continues through September 2026."
"Due to program security reasons, we are protecting any additional information with enhanced security measures."
TWZ also reached out to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-35, which deferred to the JPO. Northrop Grumman, which is developing the APG-85 radar, also declined to comment.
Are F-35s Being Delivered To The USAF Without Radars? Sure Seems Like It
Even if the jets lack radars, that doesn't mean they are useless, but their capabilities and survivability would be degraded.
www.twz.com
What the actual f&*k?
