The AN/APG-77 is a multifunction low probability of intercept radar installed on the

F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was de ...

fighter aircraft. The radar was designed and initially built by Westinghouse and

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. The company's focus is on developing analog ...

, and production continued with their respective successors

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry ...

and

Raytheon Raytheon is a business unit of RTX Corporation and is a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. Founded in 1922, it merged in 2020 with Unite ...

after acquisition. It is a solid-state,

active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled antenna array in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the a ...

(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 Beam steering is a technique for changing the direction of the main lobe of a radiation pattern. In radio and radar systems, beam steering may be accomplished by switching the antenna elements or by changing the relative phases of the RF si ...

(in the order of tens of

nanosecond A nanosecond (ns) is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one billionth of a second, that is, of a second, or seconds. The term combines the SI prefix ''nano-'' indicating a 1 billionth submultiple of an SI unit (e ...

s). In accordance with the

Joint Electronics Type Designation System The Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System (AN System. JAN) and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Depa ...

(JETDS), the "''AN/APG-77''" designation represents the 77th design of an Army-Navy airborne electronic device for

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

fire-control A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a Director (military), director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs th ...

equipment. The JETDS system also now is used to name all

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

electronic systems. 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. 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 The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and att ...

, 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 onwards. This provided improved air-to-air performance, full air-to-ground functionality (high-resolution

synthetic aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or 3D reconstruction, three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target regi ...

mapping, ground moving target indication and track (GMTI/GMTT), automatic cueing and recognition, combat identification, and many other advanced features).

References

External links

AN/APG-77 radar technology explained

{{Northrop Grumman, state=collapsed Aircraft radars Military radars of the United States Military electronics of the United States Northrop Grumman radars Radars of the United States Air Force Synthetic aperture radar

References

See also

External links