Which MSFS aircraft have weather radar, and how do I use it?
Find which aircraft support MSFS weather radar in 2020 and 2024, how to switch it on, read returns and fix a blank radar display.
Weather radar in Microsoft Flight Simulator is aircraft- and version-specific, not a universal feature. Working examples are found mainly in supported airliners, business jets and turboprops, including selected A320/A330, 737 MAX, 747-8, 787-10, Citation Longitude and TBM 930 packages. Power the avionics, select WX/WXR, then set range, tilt and gain where available.
Which Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft have working weather radar?
Modern airliners are the most likely MSFS aircraft to provide a usable weather-radar display, but the exact aircraft package matters as much as the model name. A real aircraft having radar does not mean every simulated version implements it.
| Aircraft or family | Simulator availability | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320neo | MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 | Selected stock and add-on implementations can show a weather overlay on the navigation display. Other versions have partial or inoperative radar controls. |
| Airbus A330 family | MSFS 2024 and compatible add-ons | Weather is normally presented on the navigation display when the aircraft package supports it. |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | MSFS 2024 | The built-in aircraft uses a WXR overlay on its navigation display. It should not be confused with third-party 737 NG packages. |
| Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental | MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 | Supported revisions can place precipitation returns over the navigation map when WXR is selected. |
| Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner | Simulator editions that include the aircraft | Weather can be displayed on the navigation display, although the controls and completeness depend on the installed aircraft revision. |
| Citation Longitude and TBM 930 | Simulator editions that include them | The integrated avionics may provide airborne weather or a weather-map layer. Check whether the selected page is radar or datalink weather. |
| Third-party A380, 737 and other airliners | Package and simulator-version dependent | The panel may use native MSFS weather, a developer-built presentation or an inoperative placeholder. |
This is a practical shortlist, not a permanent whitelist. Aircraft updates can add, remove or change avionics functions, and a livery cannot add radar functionality to a package that lacks it. The reliable check is the documentation for the exact aircraft build, followed by a test in known precipitation.
Do the 787 and A380 have weather radar in MSFS?
The included 787-10 can provide a navigation-display weather overlay where that aircraft and its supported avionics revision are installed. If WXR is selected but the display is empty, first check for precipitation, display mode, range and aircraft power.
There is no single answer covering every MSFS A380. For the FlyByWire A380X and other A380 add-ons, support depends on the particular build: the presence of a RADAR panel or WXR button does not prove that weather returns are implemented. If the developer lists weather radar as unavailable, changing gain, tilt or liveries will not make it work.
MSFS 2024 weather radar versus MSFS 2020
MSFS 2024 has a broader built-in aircraft fleet, but both simulator generations still depend on aircraft-level radar implementation. Through MSFS 2024 Sim Update 5, there is no global setting that gives every cockpit a working radar.
| Point to check | MSFS 2020 | MSFS 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in aircraft | Selected aircraft and avionics provide weather presentation, with varying levels of control. | Aircraft such as the A330 and 737 MAX join supported versions of familiar A320, 747, 787 and integrated-avionics aircraft. |
| Add-on compatibility | Support is specific to the MSFS 2020 release of the add-on. | An MSFS 2020 package may require a dedicated MSFS 2024 update; cockpit appearance alone is not proof of compatibility. |
| Radar fidelity | Ranges from a simple precipitation overlay to non-functional switches. | Still varies by aircraft; not every package simulates antenna tilt, gain, attenuation or ground returns. |
MSFS 2024 is sometimes abbreviated to MSFS24. Our focused MSFS 2024 radar procedure covers the newer simulator's power-up, overlay, range, tilt and gain sequence.
How do I use weather radar in MSFS?
Use MSFS weather radar by creating precipitation, powering the aircraft, selecting the operating mode and enabling the WX or WXR layer on the appropriate navigation display.
- Load weather containing precipitation. A convincing cloud layer can produce no return if it contains no simulated rain. For testing, use Live Weather with known rain nearby or create a custom rain or storm cell.
- Power and initialise the avionics. Turn on the required batteries, generators, buses and display systems. In an airliner, complete the required inertial-reference alignment so the navigation display is available and positioned correctly.
- Set the radar mode. Move the radar control from OFF or STBY to WX, WXR or the equivalent mode. Some simplified aircraft handle this automatically and expose only the display-overlay button.
- Enable the weather overlay. Select WX, WXR or WEATHER on the EFIS panel, multifunction display or weather page. Airbus systems commonly show it in ARC or ROSE NAV modes but not PLAN; other avionics may require MAP or NAV mode.
- Select a useful range. A 40- or 80-nautical-mile scale is a sensible first check where available. Shorter ranges help when assessing nearby cells, while longer ranges show the broader route around a weather system.
- Set gain and antenna tilt. Begin with gain in AUTO or CAL. Near the ground, start around level or slightly upward; at cruise altitude, sweep progressively downwards to find precipitation below the aircraft. Some MSFS implementations do not model these controls even though the knobs move.
- Keep scanning. Change range and tilt as the aircraft climbs, descends or approaches a return. A single tilt position can aim the beam above or below a storm and make a hazardous area appear clear.
There is no dependable, aircraft-independent MSFS weather-radar switch or keyboard command. Use the cockpit controls first, then consult the add-on's control assignments if it supplies custom events.
What do MSFS weather-radar colours mean?
Weather-radar colours normally represent precipitation reflectivity, not cloud thickness or a direct measurement of turbulence.
- Green generally represents lighter precipitation.
- Yellow or amber represents stronger returns requiring caution and greater separation.
- Red represents heavy precipitation and should be treated as an area to avoid.
- Magenta, where used, usually marks an extreme or display-specific return category.
- Black means no displayed return, but it can also appear behind an intense cell if attenuation and radar shadow are modelled.
The exact scale depends on the avionics. A red cell is not safe to penetrate merely because it is simulated, and a dark corridor behind one is not necessarily a clear route. Lightning, icing, hail, predictive windshear and turbulence detection are separate functions and may not be modelled by the aircraft.
Why is my MSFS weather radar blank or still showing nothing?
A blank MSFS radar usually results from absent precipitation, an unselected overlay, unsuitable range or tilt, incomplete aircraft power, or an aircraft package that does not implement the feature.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Clouds are visible but the display is black | The clouds contain no simulated precipitation | Test with a custom rain cell rather than relying on cloud appearance. |
| No WX or WXR indication appears | The overlay is off or the display mode does not support it | Select WXR and change from PLAN or another unsupported mode to ARC, MAP or NAV as appropriate. |
| WX is displayed but there are no returns | Weather is outside the selected range or antenna scan | Try several ranges, use AUTO gain and sweep the tilt through multiple angles. |
| Only one navigation display shows weather | The overlay is selected separately for each pilot's display | Check the captain's and first officer's EFIS controls independently. |
| Tilt or gain knobs move but change nothing | The aircraft uses a simplified overlay or has cosmetic controls | Check the package's documented feature list; not every implementation models antenna behaviour. |
| The system stopped working after changing simulator generation | The installed add-on is not fully compatible with that MSFS version | Install the aircraft release intended for that simulator and apply its supported updates. |
| PMDG 737 WXR is selected but remains black | Weather-radar support differs by PMDG aircraft and simulator version | Follow our PMDG 737 weather-radar checks before treating the blank screen as a setup fault. |
If there is still nothing, make one controlled test: place the aircraft near definite rain, power the avionics, select a supported map mode, enable WXR, choose a medium range, use automatic gain and sweep the tilt. If that produces no annunciation or return, the installed aircraft probably lacks a working implementation.
Is the radar map the same as NEXRAD or Live Weather?
An airborne radar display, a NEXRAD-style weather map and MSFS Live Weather are different parts of the system.
- Airborne weather radar scans ahead of the aircraft. A fuller implementation lets the pilot change antenna tilt, range and gain.
- NEXRAD or datalink weather is a wide-area mosaic delivered to the avionics. It may be delayed and normally does not respond to an airborne-radar tilt control.
- Live Weather supplies the simulator's atmospheric conditions. It is not itself a cockpit radar page.
- TERR or terrain radar shows terrain risk, not precipitation. Selecting TERR will not reveal a rain cell.
A Garmin page labelled NEXRAD, datalink or satellite weather should therefore be used for strategic planning rather than close-range cell penetration. Our MSFS weather-system guidance explains how cockpit displays, Live Weather and custom conditions relate to one another.