Raytheon will begin delivering APG-79(v)4 radars in 2020 and complete deliveries by 2022
The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) selected Raytheon’s APG-79(v)4 AESA radar to equip its F/A-18C/D Legacy Hornet fleet. Raytheon will begin delivering radars in 2020 and complete deliveries by 2022.
The APG-79(v)4 is a scaled version of the APG-79 AESA radar integrated on the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force‘s Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. According to the company, along with improved targeting capabilities, crews gain an edge in crucial operations across the spectrum – including air dominance, maritime strike and air-to-surface missions.
With its active electronic beam scanning — which allows the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light — the APG-79 optimizes situational awareness and provides superior air-to-air and air-to-surface capability. The agile beam enables the multimode radar to interleave in near-real time, so that pilot and crew can use both modes simultaneously.
“With AESA radars, fighter jet pilots and crews tip the scales in their favor over their adversaries,” said Eric Ditmars, vice president of Raytheon Secure Sensor Solutions. “Now that the APG-79(v)4 is slated to fly on the classic Hornet, Marine Corps pilots will be able to identify, track and engage more targets over a greater distance than ever before.”
The APG-79 AESA radar system represents a significant advance in radar technology – from the front-end array to the back-end processor and operational software. This combat-proven AESA radar system substantially increases the power of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F/A-18 Classic Hornet making them stronger than ever before.
Crews will see improved radar reliability, reducing maintenance hours while increasing availability for flight.
Since the APG-79(v)4 draws from the technological innovation of the combat-proven and exportable APG-79 AESA radar and shares more than 90 percent commonality with the APG-79, the Marine Corps will benefit from the same global sustainment and upgrade path already in place for the system.
Photo credit: Sgt. Marcy Sanchez / U.S. Marine Corps
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
