Northrop Grumman is now flight testing the advanced fire-control radar system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The active electronically scanned array radar—AN/APG-81—has checked out in top form against airborne and ground-based targets, stated a company news release. Northrop plans to deliver the first system to Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Tex., in November. There it will meet up with the other F-35 avionics for additional testing.
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…