Radar modernization for the United States Air Force F-16 fleet crossed the $2 billion threshold following a contract modification awarded to Northrop Grumman.
“for Active Electronically Scanned Array radars of Air Force F-16 aircraft,” the U.S. Department of War said in an announcement, the $79.6 million modification pushes the total value of the Active Electronically Scanned Array radar agreement to $2.06 billion, up from $1.98 billion. Work on the hardware will take place in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is scheduled for completion by Dec. 31, 2027.
Funding for the latest award is divided into distinct categories, with approximately $65.4 million allocated from fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027 procurement budgets. The remaining $14.2 million consists of research, development, test, and evaluation funding. The development figure mirrors previous adjustments to the same agreement, matching modifications issued in March 2025 and June 2026.
AN/APG-83 Radar Replaces Older Mechanical Systems
The contract centers on the AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar, designed to replace older mechanical systems such as the APG-68. The APG-83 utilizes a fixed electronic scanning array rather than a moving antenna, enabling rapid target acquisition and simultaneous ground mapping.
Northrop Grumman manufactures the radar using technology derived from systems built for the F-22 and F-35, configuring it to fit existing F-16 airframes without requiring structural modifications or adjustments to power and cooling systems.
The modernization effort began as an urgent homeland defense acquisition in 2017, when the U.S. Air Force ordered 72 radars for Air National Guard F-16s at a cost of $243.9 million. U.S. Northern Command requested the upgrades to enhance the detection of small-cross-section threats, including cruise missiles.
Expanding Procurement Pace
The company acquired approximately $1 billion worth of service in December 2019 to cover up to 372 radars. The total value climbed to $1.51 billion by April 2023, reached $1.68 billion by March 2025, and advanced to $1.84 billion by June 2026.
Between the June adjustment and the November announcement, the contract grew by roughly $145 million. The broader modernization plan encompasses up to 608 Block 40 and Block 50 F-16s under a $6.3 billion effort incorporating up to 22 separate modifications.
Early fielding of the radar began in early 2022, when the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany became the first active-duty unit to receive the equipment.
While production lines continue to output hardware—including the delivery of the 1,000th APG-83 from the company’s Baltimore facility on May 19 for both domestic upgrades and foreign military sales—neither the service nor recent contract announcements have updated the overall radar quantity ceiling beyond the 372 units established in 2019.
