AN/APG-77

AN/APG-77
AN/APG-77 in the National Electronics Museum
Country of originUnited States
ManufacturerWestinghouse (acquired by Northrop Grumman), Texas Instruments (acquired by Raytheon)
TypeSolid-state active electronically scanned array (AESA)
Azimuth120°
Power20 kW peak[1]

The AN/APG-77 is a multifunction low probability of intercept radar installed on the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft. The radar was designed and initially built by Westinghouse and Texas Instruments, and production continued with their respective successors Northrop Grumman and Raytheon after acquisition.

It is a solid-state, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Composed of 1,956 transmit/receive modules (TRM), each about the size of a gum stick, it can perform a near-instantaneous beam steering (in the order of tens of nanoseconds).[2]

The APG-77 was highly appreciated by pilots transitioning from F-15s upon the F-22's introduction in 2005, providing a massive boost in situational awareness. The APG-77 has an incredibly fast scan time across its 120 degree field of view and could detect aircraft from over 320 mi (515 km) away. The AN/APG-77 system itself exhibits a very low radar cross-section, supporting the F-22's stealthy design.[3] The upgraded APG-77(V)1 may have an even greater range. Much of the technology developed for the APG-77 was used in the AN/APG-81 radar for the F-35 Lightning II, and in turn the technology from the APG-81 was applied to the upgraded APG-77(V)1.

The APG-77(V)1 was installed on F-22 Raptors from Lot 5 and on.[4] This provided improved air-to-air performance, full air-to-ground functionality (high-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, ground moving target indication and track (GMTI/GMTT), automatic cueing and recognition, combat identification, and many other advanced features).[5][4][6]

  1. ^ "Forecast International: Intelligence Center".
  2. ^ "Future DoD Airborne High-Frequency Radar Needs/Resources" (PDF). Department of Defense. April 2001. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-20.
  3. ^ Hoffman, Carl (November 2005). "The Raptor Arrives". Air and Space Magazine. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "F-22 Raptor To Get Upgraded Radar". Defense Update. 2 April 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  5. ^ "APG-77(V)".
  6. ^ "Northrop Successfully Completes F-22 Radar Flight-Test Certification". Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-07-17.