US Air Force tests ‘four ship' formation of F-16s with AESA radars

The US Air Force (USAF) on 2 July for the first time flew advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars on four fighter aircraft in a ‘four-ship’ formation.

A combined development and operational test team successfully tested the new radar capability on four Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons, according to a 3 August service statement. The Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam (SABR) AESA radar equips the F-16s with fifth-generation radar capabilities similar to those found in Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs).

The US Air Force on 2 July tested next-generation AESA radars flying in a ‘four-ship’ formation of F-16s for the first time. The goal was to see if the radar signals improved or degraded while operating together. (US Air Force)

The radar is used in the suppression or destruction of enemy air defences, including targeting radars and surface-to-air missiles. It also improves existing air-to-air capabilities and enhances air-to-ground mapping.

“This capability allows us to target the northwest corner of a small building or the cockpit of an aircraft from several miles way, beyond line-of-sight,” Jack Harman, 40th Flight Test Squadron F-16 fighter test pilot, was quoted by the USAF as saying. “[The radar] improves our ability to identify the threat prior to us being targeted. We no longer have to be inside a threat envelope in order to detect it”.

By testing four AESA radars at the same time, the team assessed whether the aircraft experienced interference and evaluated if the signal improved or degraded while operating together.