'The "Eyes of Domestic Fighter Jets" AESA Radar Released'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A multifunctional Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar to be equipped on the next-generation fighter project (KF-X) has been developed domestically for the first time, and a prototype has been released. The AESA radar, known as the "eyes of the fighter," plays a crucial role in modern aerial combat concepts where long-range precision strike capability determines victory or defeat.

On the 7th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held a prototype release ceremony at the Yongin Integrated Research Center of Hanwha Systems, a defense company that manufactures AESA radars.

In 2014, the Ministry of National Defense and DAPA selected the F-35 stealth fighter from the American company Lockheed Martin for the KF-X project, promising the transfer of four core technologies necessary for fighter development (AESA radar, infrared search and track equipment, electro-optical target tracking equipment, and electronic warfare equipment). However, the U.S. Congress suddenly banned the transfer of these technologies. Consequently, the domestic defense industry decided to develop the four core technologies independently.

The domestically produced AESA radar contains about 1,088 modules, each 5 mm in size. With 1,088 "eyes," it can detect and track over 1,000 targets simultaneously. The unit price of one module is 45 million KRW, equivalent to the price of one car. If imported from overseas, it costs over 80 million KRW, so localization saves about half of the budget.

Considering that the AESA radar of the U.S. F-35 consists of about 1,200 modules, it is not inferior to the radar of fifth-generation fighters. So far, about six countries including the U.S., Japan, and China are known to have developed AESA radars. The domestically produced AESA radar will enter airborne testing by the end of this year and will be equipped on the KF-X prototype for final testing starting in 2023.

Choi Ho-cheon, head of the Future Power Business Division at DAPA, said, "I would like to express my gratitude to Hanwha Systems and others involved in developing AESA radar technology, which overseas parties are reluctant to transfer," adding, "We hope it will fully demonstrate competitiveness in the global market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.