The latest series of US fighter jets scheduled for delivery in the fall will initially have to fly around with ballast instead of radar.
March 20, 2026, 11:30 a.mMarch 20, 2026, 11:30 a.m
The US armed forces are facing an unusual problem with their most modern fighter aircraft: New F-35s are to be delivered in the fall, some of them without radar. This could temporarily massively limit their operational capability.
An F-35C prepares to attack Iran on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.Image: keystone
Like the specialist portal “Breaking Defense” exclusively reported, The first machines from the latest production batches will be handed over to the troops without the planned new APG-85 radar. Instead, ballast is simply installed in its place so that the jets remain able to fly. However, combat missions are not possible with this.
Variants for the US Marine Corps will initially be affected; later the Air Force and Navy will also receive corresponding “blind” aircraft. Although the machines are considered airworthy, they can only be used for training and limited training missions.
The background is a delay in the new APG-85 radar system, which was developed by the defense company Northrop Grumman and passed on to the F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin for installation. This is more powerful than the previous APG-81, but requires a modified structure in the aircraft.
Since production and development run parallel, jets are now being created that are designed for the new radar – but this is not yet available for installation. A temporary solution with the old system is not possible due to structural differences.
In the best case scenario, the problem could be limited to a few aircraft if the radar is ready for use as early as next year. However, if development were to be delayed further, over a hundred machines could be affected and would have to be retrofitted. The duration and costs of such a retrofit are currently unclear.
US politicians are concerned. Republican Representative Rob Wittman warned “Breaking Defense” that the armed forces could temporarily have “a lot of aircraft, but they are not combat ready.” The main reason for the delay is the lengthy certification processes for the new system.
Switzerland is not affected
For the time being, the problem has no direct consequences for international customers: The APG-85 has not yet been approved for export, which is why foreign F-35s will continue to be delivered with the current radar. This also applies to the US fighter jets to be procured by Switzerland – according to the latest status, 30.
Military experts emphasize how central radar is to combat capability. Without this, the F-35 would be “almost short-sighted” and dependent on external sensors – a clear disadvantage in a possible conflict with technologically equal opponents such as China. The news that an F-35 had to make an emergency landing during the Iran War with suspected damage caused by fire is currently causing a stir in aviation circles; the first such incident with the US superjet, which had previously seemed invulnerable in the Middle East. (aargauerzeitung.ch)