Lockheed Martin delivered F-35s without AN/APG-85 (a radar) due to delays, instead, ballast is being installed in the nose cones.

As development and testing of the APG-85 are delayed by cooling and power-consumption challenges, new fighters are rolling off the assembly line with empty nose pods. To maintain aerodynamic balance and flight characteristics, ballast is installed in the aircraft’s nose.  The AN/APG-85 is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system designed by Northrop Grumman for the Lockheed Martin F-35 https://militarnyi.com/en/news/lockheed-martin-delivers-f-35-without-an-apg-85-due-to-delays/ As of February 13, 2026, the U.S. Air Force has officially denied reports that it received F-35 fighters with “empty radomes.” -Instead, the USAF clarified that Lot 17 aircraft are currently delivering with the older AN/APG-81 radar sets However, I read online that those do NOT fit in the F35 radome -These setbacks contribute to the F-35’s ballooning lifecycle cost, now estimated at a staggering $2.1 trillion through the 2070s. https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/02/why-the-f-35s-new-super-radar-is-forcing-the-air-force-to-use-20-year-old-tech/