Raytheon Begins Delivering AESA Radar Production Units for FA-50 to KAI

Raytheon, a U.S. defense contractor, has begun delivering production units of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars for light combat aircraft to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). With this delivery of production hardware, the performance upgrade of the FA-50, KAI's flagship export aircraft, and the on-time delivery of overseas orders are expected to move into full swing.

According to Raytheon's official LinkedIn account on Nov. 9, the company has started initial delivery of production hardware for its PhantomStrike AESA radar to KAI. This follows the delivery of laboratory equipment for aircraft system integration testing in August 2025, marking the first time components to be installed on actual production aircraft have been handed over.

The PhantomStrike is a fully air-cooled fire control radar independently developed by Raytheon. It has long-range threat detection, tracking, and precision targeting capabilities. Its simpler structure compared to liquid-cooled systems makes maintenance easier, and its smaller size and lower power consumption make it optimized for platforms with limited space, such as light combat aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and helicopters.

The key technology enabling miniaturization and weight reduction is gallium nitride (GaN) material. It withstands high voltage and high heat better than the gallium arsenide (GaAs) devices widely used in existing radars, allowing a design that cools with air alone without the complex liquid-cooling equipment that circulates coolant. This dramatically reduces equipment volume while improving signal control speed and resistance to electronic jamming.

Thanks to this design, it has clear advantages over existing radars in terms of weight and cost. Compared to typical AESA radars, it weighs only about half as much, yet it delivers fire control capability comparable to that of large fighter jets. Production cost is also about half that of existing fire control radars.

KAI signed a direct commercial sales (DCS) contract with Raytheon in March 2023 for 100 PhantomStrike radars. The radar has received export approval from the U.S. government and will be applied first to 36 FA-50PL aircraft, the upgraded version among the 48 FA-50s that Poland has confirmed for introduction. Production of the units is currently distributed across Raytheon facilities in Forest, Mississippi; Tucson, Arizona; and Scotland in the United Kingdom.

Equipping the FA-50 with an AESA radar is a key factor in elevating its operational capability to the level of a multirole fighter. Unlike mechanical radars, it can simultaneously identify and track multiple targets, increasing pilot survivability. In particular, with approval in April 2026 to equip Polish export aircraft with the AIM-120 AMRAAM, a medium-range air-to-air missile with a range of over 100 km, beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagement is now possible when combined with the PhantomStrike radar's precision targeting capability.

In the global light combat aircraft market, AESA radar and medium-range air-to-air missile capability have recently become essential requirements for major importing countries. With the start of production unit delivery, the FA-50 can now prepare for on-time delivery of Polish orders while presenting enhanced specifications in future overseas competitions.

Raytheon announced the production delivery on its official LinkedIn, saying, "As the PhantomStrike radar moves from vision to reality, we are strengthening our customers' ability to operate with confidence and maintain an advantage in combat."

※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.