WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2022) The pre-production APG-79(V)4 radar system had a successful test flight on a US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, California, Raytheon Intelligence and Space (RI&S) said in a press release on Tuesday.
"RI&S's pre-production APG-79(V)4 radar system was successfully flown on a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet earlier this year," the release said. "This is the radar system's first flight on the aircraft since RI&S delivered the prototype radar in 2021."
Raythen said the APG-79(V)4 is an APG-79 radar derivative that employs the first airborne GaN-AESA fire-control radar to help pilots detect and track enemy aircraft from greater distances with greater accuracy and meets the power and cooling requirements of legacy aircraft.
"Following successful ground testing and the delivery of the prototype radar, this flight test was critical to observe performance in the air," RI&S Vice President for F/A-18 and Global Strike Radars Thomas Shaurette said in the release. "It allowed our partners to see the V4 radar's enhanced detection and tracking abilities in real-time."
The Naval Air Systems Command recently awarded additional contract modifications to equip the Hornet fleet with more radars in 2021, and the total production value for domestic and foreign military sales customers is over $300 million, the release said.
