AN/APG-68

AN/APG-68
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Name	AN/APG-68
Type	Pulse-Doppler fire-control radar
Designer	Westinghouse Electronic Systems Division
Introduced	1980s
Country	United States

AN/APG-68

The AN/APG-68 is a nose-mounted pulse-Doppler multimode radar developed for the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and fielded in the 1980s. It supports air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, enabling platforms to employ weapons such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9 Sidewinder, and precision-guided munitions. The system was produced by divisions of General Electric, Westinghouse, and later Northrop Grumman for operators including the United States Air Force, Israel Defense Forces, and numerous export customers.

Development and Design

Development began as an upgrade to earlier radars installed on the F-16 Fighting Falcon airframe to replace the AN/APG-66 during the Cold War modernization wave driven by requirements from the United States Air Force and international partners such as Belgium and Netherlands. The design team at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and later General Electric aimed to increase range, resolution, and electronic counter-countermeasures to address threats from systems like the S-300 and interceptors of the Soviet Air Force. The APG-68 architecture employed advances in planar array antennas, solid-state transmit/receive modules, and digital signal processing influenced by research at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and procurement standards from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency programs. Contracting and fielding involved coordination with agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency and procurement offices in the Department of Defense.

Technical Specifications

The radar uses a coherent pulse-Doppler design with monopulse tracking, phased array antenna, and a transmitter/receiver chain upgraded across production blocks. Key parameters include detection against fighter-sized targets at tactical ranges comparable to contemporaries like the AN/APG-63 and AN/APG-70, track-while-scan capacity, and resolution sufficient for high-precision targeting similar to sensors on the F/A-18 Hornet and Panavia Tornado. Electronics include multiple signal processors, memory arrays, and interfaces for stores management and cockpit displays developed to MIL-STD and NATO standards used by Royal Air Force and Italian Air Force platforms. Environmental and electromagnetic compatibility testing referenced protocols from National Institute of Standards and Technology and interoperability checks with datalinks like Link 16.

Operational Capabilities and Modes

Operational modes support look-down/shoot-down against low-flying threats, high-resolution mapping for air-to-ground strike, synthetic aperture radar modes analogous to systems used by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress upgrade programs, and maritime surveillance for littoral operations like those conducted by Royal Australian Air Force F-16 operators. Mode sets include track-while-scan, terrain-following cueing, ground moving target indication/referencelike capabilities seen in platforms such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, and precision targeting to cue electro-optical pods like the AN/AAQ-28 LITENING. Electronic counter-countermeasures were enhanced to resist jamming from systems fielded by the Syrian Arab Air Force and exported Russian systems.

Variants and Upgrades

Production evolved through multiple blocks and engineering change proposals paralleled by upgrades in radars such as the AN/APG-70 and later AN/APG-68(V)9 iterations. Incremental variants incorporated digital signal processing improvements, higher-power transmitters, and software-defined modes used by export customers like Egypt and South Korea. Major upgrade programs included integration with helmet-mounted cueing systems used by Israeli Air Force pilots and compatibility work to support weapons certified by manufacturers including Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. Over-the-horizon modernization efforts mirrored trends seen in the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile integration programs for multimission flexibility.

Integration and Platforms

Primary integration was with the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon family across production lots and retrofit programs performed at depots operated by Lockheed Martin and national air forces. Secondary integrations and testing efforts tied into avionics suites used on export-configured fighters operated by Pakistan Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, and Royal Danish Air Force. The radar interfaces with mission computers, heads-up displays developed by contractors like Rockwell Collins, and weapons systems certified by agencies such as the Defense Contract Management Agency.

Service History and Combat Use

The radar entered widespread service in the 1980s and saw operational use in conflicts including operations by the Israeli Air Force during engagements in Lebanon and by Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s on NATO patrols during tensions with Russian Federation air activity. It supported coalition air operations during Gulf War deployments and subsequent Operation Iraqi Freedom sorties where APG-68-equipped platforms conducted air superiority and precision strike missions. Field reports influenced upgrade priorities after encounters with advanced surface-to-air systems and electronic warfare threats in theaters such as the Balkans and the Middle East.

Operators and Global Deployment

Operators include the United States Air Force for early F-16s, longtime users like the Royal Netherlands Air Force, export customers such as the Royal Norwegian Air Force, Hellenic Air Force, Royal Danish Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, Turkish Air Force, Pakistan Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, Egyptian Air Force, and the Israeli Air Force. Deployment spanned NATO, Western-aligned, and non-aligned states through Foreign Military Sales and direct purchases organized with oversight by institutions like the United States Congress and export regulations influenced by the Arms Export Control Act.

Category:Aircraft radars