APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) installed on a U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet

via Press Release.

The fit check, performed August 2 at the request of the Marine Corps, demonstrated SABR is a low-risk option for installation on F/A-18C/D Hornets and that the radar can be integrated with the aircraft’s power, cooling and avionics systems.

“The Marine Corps asked for an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) solution due to the radar’s increase in reliability and sustainability with no decrease in operational performance,” said Greg Simer, vice president, integrated avionics systems, Northrop Grumman. “The Marine Corps’ stated objective is to modify an in-production, fielded AESA while meeting the current size, weight, power and cooling requirements of the F/A-18 C/D. We have proven our production APG-83 SABR radar fits into the F/A-18 C/D, achieving the objectives and bringing the technical maturity needed to attain the Marine Corps fleet insertion timelines.”

The APG-83 is a multifunction AESA fire control radar that delivers fifth-generation fighter capabilities to counter and defeat increasingly sophisticated threats.           

I TOLD YOU FREAKS THE AESA WAS THE SECRET SAUCE TO THE F-35's SENSOR FUSION!

" The APG-83 is a multifunction AESA fire control radar that delivers fifth-generation fighter capabilities to counter and defeat increasingly sophisticated threats. "  

Everything they're supposedly  gonna be able to do with the F-35, from radar picket, to being a node in fires and everything in between.

This seals the deal for me.

The F-35 is simply an overly expensive bomb truck with little/no benefit over every plane it replaces with the EXCEPTION of the Harrier.