Raytheon Delivers First PhantomStrike Radar For FA-50

RAYTHEON, part of RTX delivered the first PhantomStrike radar to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for their FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fleet. The PhantomStrike is a first-of-its-kind, fully air-cooled, high efficiency Gallium Nitride, fire-control radar that is designed to provide long-range threat detection, tracking and targeting. At nearly half the cost of a typical fire control radar, it delivers superior radar capability due to its faster, more agile digital beam, advanced target detection and resistance to jamming.

“In an increasingly complex and contested battlespace, aircrew need to make informed, split-second decisions to ensure mission success,” said Raytheon’s president of Advanced Products and Solutions Dan Theisen. “Delivering the first PhantomStrike system to KAI marks a pivotal step in equipping our customers with the advanced technology needed to maintain a decisive advantage in combat.”

Designed for size, weight, and power constrained platforms that include uncrewed and light-attack aircraft, fighter jets and helicopters, the PhantomStrike harnesses the fire control power of a fighter in its lightest form factor ever – weighing nearly half of a modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

PhantomStrike is approved for export as a Direct Commercial Sale product. This year, Raytheon completed a series of flight tests on its Multi-Program Testbed aircraft, demonstrating air-to-air and air-to-ground performance, and delivered a lab unit for aircraft integration testing in August.

KAI’s FA-50 was originally a trainer aircraft in the form of the T-50, which then evolved into the light combat TA-50 and light fighter/attack FA-50. Indonesia and Thailand both operate the T-50, but Thailand’s T-50s are fitted with fighter-specific equipment and compatible for carrying ordnance. Iraq operates a T-50IQ that is the Iraqi FA-50 variant, while Poland and the Philippines operate the FA-50. Malaysia is awaiting the completion of its first of 18 units for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). 

The Philippines ordered another 12 FA-50PHs in a US$706 million deal to add on to an initial batch of 12 serving in the Philippine Air Force (PAF) since 2014, performing well in combat missions over the years including the FA-50PH’s baptism of fire in multiple close air support (CAS) missions and credited as the “game changer” of the Marawi campaign. However, one FA-50PH was lost in a crash this March which led to the FA-50PH fleet’s grounding before being lifted close to two months later towards the end of April.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:RTX)