The US military received a series of F-35s without radar

During a testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week, F-35 Program Management Office (JPO) leader Gregory Masiello said the shortage of AN/APG-85 radar forced the Marine Corps to receive at least 6 F-35 fighters without this device.

General Masiello did not specify which F-35 variant was missing the radar when handed over to the US military. Some sources believe that the fighters Mr. Masiello mentioned are F-35B models capable of taking off on short runways and landing vertically, and are only assigned to the US Marine Corps.

The AN/APG-85 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is an important component in the F-35’s Block 4 major upgrade package, but the program is behind schedule and has increased in price. “The first batch of equipment can only be delivered in 2028,” said editor Joseph Trevithick of the US military website. War Zone said on June 26.

General Masiello revealed information about the F-35 batch lacking radar when arguing with Senator Mark Kelly about the low combat readiness rate of this fighter model in the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, which has been a long-standing concern.

The US Government Audit Office (GAO) said the average mission readiness rate of all F-35 variants decreased from 38% to 25% in the 2020-2025 fiscal year period. JPO does not refute GAO’s information, but disagrees with the agency’s assessment method.

In February, newspaper Defense Daily The US reported that all F-35A stealth fighters delivered to the Air Force since June 2025 did not include the main radar, which also stemmed from delays in the AN/APG-85 program. However, the US Air Force later denied the information.

Previous F-35 variants used the AN/APG-81 radar developed in the 1980s. Detailed information about the AN/APG-85’s features is still limited, but it is considered superior in many aspects to the AN/APG-81.

“Compared to the AN/APG-81, the AN/APG-85 radar will at least take advantage of general advances over the past decade. Using the semiconductor compound gallium nitride (GaN) brings very clear differences in the size, mass and power consumption of modern radars,” War Zone editor Tyler Rogoway said.

It is unclear how the US military will operate F-35s without radar. When Senator Kelly expressed skepticism about the combat readiness of these aircraft, General Masiello declared that the F-35s were “fully capable of performing their missions”.

According to Rogoway, as long as there is an F-35 fighter carrying a radar in the formation, all aircraft will benefit from the data link system, even if they themselves do not have sensors installed.

However, this cannot replace the main radar located on each aircraft. This part is also an important component in the F-35’s electronic warfare system, a shortage will affect the ability to self-defense and protect teammates.

The US military has repeatedly received F-35 fighters that lack some important features. The F-35 program had to go through many rounds of revisions, as the Pentagon approved the production of small numbers of fighters while continuing to perfect the design.

“The US Department of Defense said this method helps save costs and time, but the make-and-fix process created too many aircraft configurations and caused serious disruptions in the supply chain, even some fighters of the same batch could not exchange components with each other. The negative impact of this decision is still felt to this day,” Rogoway said.