The F-35 Lightning II as we know it today is the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) concept, intended to unify air systems for multiple branches and allies. Development was a complex series of technical challenges, but the result was a single airframe with stealth, supersonic capability, and a lethal array of sensors. Radar is crucial to ensuring the F-35 , and any fighter jet, can locate and engage threats before detection by the enemy.
In many ways, the AN/APG-81 represents decades of incremental AESA breakthroughs, building on earlier radars like the APG-77 of the F-22 Raptor . Eurofighter Typhoon similarly emerged from a multinational effort between the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Its design was for air superiority with a strong secondary role as a ground-attack platform.
The original radar was mechanically scanned (Captor-M), which later evolved into E-Scan (Captor-E) variants. Each iteration refined the scanning arc, detection range, and electronic warfare features of the radar used in both of these digital-age warbirds. The ECRS unifies the variants under a common development roadmap for the Typhoon and northrop grumman ’s AN/APG units do the same for the F-35.
So how do these apex predators compare in terms of radar power? Power versus stealth The F-35’s radar is at the core of its stealth-focused mission strategy. Designed as an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), the AN/APG-81 can detect and track multiple targets, all while minimizing signals .
