F-35 Lightning II will undergo a major upgrade and get new AN/APG-85 radar and StormBreaker bombs

Lockheed Martin, together with the U.S. military, plans to carry out a large-scale modernization of the fifth generation fighters F-35 Lightning II. Information about this first appeared in the spring of 2021.

Here's What We Know

For fiscal 2023, nearly $1 billion is budgeted for the purchase of seven F-35 Lightning II fighter jets with the new AN/APG-85 radar. The F-35 Joint Program Office has confirmed that the planes will undergo upgrades.

The new AN/APG-85 radar will probably be compatible with Block 4 level fighters. Specialists from the Air Force, Navy and U.S. Marine Corps will be working on the improvements. All versions of the Lightning II will be upgraded: the F-35A, F-35B and F-35C.

The AN/APG-85 was developed by Northrop Grumman. It was awarded the contract in 2001. The active phased array radar replaces the AN/APG-77, which was used in the first fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighters. More than 3,000 new radars are expected to be ordered for the F-35 Lightning II, with production continuing through 2035.

The fifth-generation fighters will receive an upgraded situational awareness system and an electro-optical targeting system. Also changes will affect the electronic warfare complex. In addition, after the modernization the F-35 Lightning II will be able to carry StormBreaker bombs.

It should be noted that at the end of 2022, Lockheed Martin signed a new contract for the supply of F-35 fighters. Execution of the agreement in its entirety means production of 398 planes at a cost of $30 billion.

Source: The Drive