US military takes delivery of radar-less F-35 fighter jets

The US military has begun taking delivery of F-35 fighter jets without radar systems after Northrop Grumman was unable to manufacture the aircraft’s new AN/APG-85 radar quickly enough for installation on upgraded Lockheed Martin jets leaving the production line.

The aircraft are being delivered without the radars, each valued at about $9 million, which are considered essential for combat operations and battlefield effectiveness.

According to The Bunker, six US Marine Corps F-35s have already been delivered without radar systems.

An unspecified number of F-35s destined for the US Air Force and US Navy will also be delivered without radars. The new radar systems are not expected to be available before 2028.

The current radar cannot be fitted into the upgraded F-35 configuration.

One reason the approximately $196 million F-35 carries such a high price tag is its complex shape, stealth coating and integrated electronic architecture, all designed to reduce its radar signature.

According to The Bunker, the situation is comparable to “carbines without bullets, tanks without armor, ships without oceans, or nuclear weapons without the nuclear.”

The issue has become emblematic of the broader F-35 program. The $2 trillion project continues to struggle with readiness problems, in part because the Pentagon has not purchased enough spare parts to keep its fleet operational.

The radar shortfall is particularly notable because it marks a second instance in which perceived future threats have contributed to procurement complications.

A decade after the program began, then-Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall said in 2012 that the initial rush to put the F-35 into production while its design was still evolving had been “acquisition malpractice.”

This time, the Pentagon says it deliberately accepted the risks of a “highly concurrent development and production program” to upgrade the F-35 so it could “maintain air superiority against future threats.”

In simple terms, “highly concurrent” means manufacturing components before the aircraft’s design has been finalized.

That approach ultimately left the aircraft without their new radar systems, repeating the same practice that Kendall criticized 14 years ago.

The radar-less F-35s will not remain grounded while awaiting the new electronic equipment.

Instead, the Pentagon now possesses a growing fleet of what has effectively become some of the world’s most expensive jet trainers.