McDD Model 279-4:

Deino, did you scan the “Short Snort” pic? Its very badly done…

I am pretty sure that the first model pic is, if not “Short Snort”, clearly a closely related General Dynamics design.

More model 265?

Model 279 again

GD did a lot of work on STOL/VSTOL in the early 80s. There was “Short Snort”, a STOL design using upper surface blowing where the engine exhausts above the wing, which the first model appears to share.

There was also “Jiminy Cricket”:

Here’s some alternative Gripen designs:

Model 2107

All official material I have seen says

“several thousand”

for the AN/APG-77.

In magazines and books, (e.g. AFM) the figure of 2000 elements is often given, but I don’t think it has been officially stated. It is clearly in that ballpark.

Carlo Kopp suggested 800-900 elements would be appropriate for the F-35’s nose array.

I have heard that the US settled on around 1000 elements for F-35, but some of the international partners are/were pushing for more elements, up to 1400 or so. Given that the US has the F-22, they are less concerned about A/A performance than some of the other nations, for whom the F-35 will be performing air superiority roles. I doubt that the exact number is decided at this stage.

The F-35 radar draws heavily on the AN/APG-77 technology, but it won’t have as many elements, for size and cost reasons.

Yes, edge detection is how older TV guided bombs work. The pilot designates the target by hand, marking the target on a cockpit display, and the edge detection algorithm then keeps the bomb flying at the designated target.