FlashFeed

Full text

Six new F-35Bs entered service carrying ballast inside their noses instead of radar

The APG-85 delay created stealth fighters without their primary sensor

Lot 17 redesign decisions eliminated compatibility with older radar hardware

The United States Marine Corps has accepted delivery of six newly built F-35B stealth fighters carrying ballast weights where a radar should be installed.

The aircraft left production lines without the AN/APG-85 radar that future F-35 variants are expected to rely upon for combat operations.

Instead of delaying delivery, officials accepted aircraft configured with dead weight occupying the nose section reserved for the missing equipment.

A new radar arrives before the aircraft can actually use it

The unusual situation emerged because Lot 17 aircraft were redesigned around the forthcoming AN/APG-85 radar architecture and mounting structure.

Those modifications prevent installation of the older AN/APG-81 radar, leaving no interim option while the replacement remains unavailable.

The radar is to be supplied by Northrop Grumman rather than prime contractor Lockheed Martin, further complicating delivery schedules.

Marine Corps Lieutenant General Gregory Masiello informed lawmakers on June 23 2026 that only six Marine aircraft currently lack installed radars.

Acceptance testing for those aircraft began in February 2026 after successfully completing production earlier in the year.

Although the Air Force and Navy have not yet received comparable aircraft, similar deliveries are reportedly expected later this year.

Without radars, the aircraft can support basic flight familiarisation and pilot instruction activities while remaining unsuitable for combat operations.

The Joint Program Office defended the decision, stating the Pentagon "deliberately undertook a highly concurrent development and production program for advanced capabilities."

"This decision was made with full understanding of the risk of having production aircraft ready ahead of the capabilities."

Delay exposes larger questions around F-35 readiness

The missing radar arrives amid wider concerns surrounding operational readiness across the broader F-35 fleet during fiscal year 2025.

According to a recent US Government Accountability Office assessment, only about 25% of the F-35 aircraft achieved fully mission-capable status in 2025.

Aircraft capable of performing at least one assigned mission reached 44.1%, although this remained considerably below historical expectations.

Masiello said he would not "dispute their numbers or how they do it" during congressional testimony discussing the findings.

Using Joint Program Office calculations, he argued the mission capable figure stood closer to 56% across operational fleets instead.

The delayed APG-85 radar forms part of the wider Block 4 modernization package that continues encountering schedule and integration challenges.

Future F-35 models will require more cooling capacity, as new systems will draw between 62 and 80 kilowatts, more than double the 32 kilowatts current hardware consumes.

A next-generation engine that could have addressed this cooling gap was developed but ultimately defunded after proving too costly.

Current plans indicate that the APG-85 will enter service around 2028 but meaningful cooling will not arrive until after 2031.

The sight of stealth fighters carrying lead ballast instead of radars may therefore become an enduring symbol of contemporary defence procurement realities.

Via Defence Industry

Full text

Mitsubishi gives the Mirage sedan a cleaner, freshly styled front end.

Sedan remains on sale across ASEAN markets under the Attrage name.

Its Mirage hatchback sibling carries on unchanged for the time being.

America lost the Mitsubishi Mirage after the 2024 model year, and with it went the only new car in the country priced under $20,000 . Budget buyers are still sore about it. The rest of the world, however, gets to keep the subcompact model around a while longer. Thailand has just rolled out a facelifted Attrage sedan, its name for the Mirage, stretching the little car’s lifecycle even further.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f");

}

});

The current Mirage first arrived in 2011, which makes the basic design 15 years old at this point, an eternity in a segment where most rivals have turned over two or three times. Mitsubishi has fought to keep it current all the same, working through facelifts in 2015 and 2019 before landing on this latest 2026 update.

More: Mitsubishi Gave The Triton A New Face, But Only In One Country

The 2026 car’s big change is up front, where a sportier grille carries a faint echo of the long-discontinued Lancer Evolution . The designers also reworked the Dynamic Shield elements, now thicker and finished in black rather than chrome. The bumper intakes with their integrated fog lights and the headlights carry over from the 2019 facelift, as does the rest of the bodywork.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform === "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("ea4d4b5a-f8e5-4d5d-9d9a-53a3b956b6cd");

} else{

adpushup.triggerAd("44c0a4dc-e25b-4ba5-ac64-2c510461b92a");

}

});

Interestingly, the company hasn’t given the Mirage hatchback the same attention, and it soldiers on with the older look for now.

Mitsubishi Thailand

The interior appears untouched, with the center console still hosting a familiar 7-inch infotainment display next to an analog instrument cluster. Other amenities include a rear center armrest with cup holders, cruise control, a stop-start system, keyless entry, an immobilizer, a tire repair kit, and a sizeable cargo area.

More: Here’s The Cheapest Way Mitsubishi Could Revive The Lancer, And It’s All Nissan

The safety kit is limited to a Forward Collision Mitigation Low Speed Range System and a Radar Sensing Misacceleration Mitigation System (RMS-Forward) that is able to detect obstacles up to 4 m (13 feet) ahead. However, those are only available in the high-spec Smart trim.

Powertrain And Pricing

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Under the hood lies a familiar naturally-aspirated 1.2-liter MIVEC engine producing 78 hp (58 kW / 79 PS) and 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) of torque. Power is transmitted to the front axle exclusively via a CVT gearbox.

The updated Attrage holds a starting price of 564,000 Thai Baht ($17,000) in Thailand . The Mirage hatchback undercuts it, opening at 509,000 Thai Baht ($15,300).

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Mitsubishi Thailand