BALTIMORE, March 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. F-22 Raptor only recently went operational but is already lined for the fourth version of its AESA radar system.
Northrop Grumman announced Monday it had completed radar flight-test certification for the fourth-generation AESA, or active electronically scanned array, radar for the futuristic fighter.
"These fourth-generation enhancements will help ensure that the Air Force continues to have the most technologically advanced equipment," said Teri Marconi, a vice president at Northrop's Electronics Systems sector in Baltimore. "With its high-resolution radar, the F-22 possesses a sophisticated sensor suite that allows the pilot to track, identify, and defeat air-to-air threats before being detected.''
Once deployed, the radar will be used to upgrade the Raptors beginning with Lot 5; two dozen planes that will be delivered beginning this spring, Northrop said in a news release. The Raptor went operational with USAF squadrons a little more than a year ago.
The flight-test certification is one of the prerequisites for the beginning of the Operational Utility Evaluation (OUE) phase, which confirms that the AN/APG-77V(1) radar is combat ready.
The OUE phase will be carried out at various Air Force installations. The flight-test certification took place this winter at Edwards Air Force Base in California and included the launch of AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles and 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
