Raytheon Technologies will outfit Korea Aerospace Industries’ FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with the new PhantomStrike radar. PhantomStrike is a fully air-cooled fire-control radar designed to provide long-range threat detection, tracking and targeting. Working with the United States Government, PhantomStrike was approved to be exported as a Direct Commercial Sales product to KAI. PhantomStrike is a first-of-its-kind, compact AESA radar that is smaller, lighter and requires less power. It is designed for a wide range of platforms including light-attack aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, uncrewed aerial vehicles, and ground-based towers.
Outfitting the FA-50 with the PhantomStrike radar upgrades the capability of a critical aircraft, providing unparalleled performance in a compact, affordable package. All while keeping these jets fast, agile and easy to maintain. Threats on the battlefield always evolve, and PhantomStrike makes it possible for KAI to offer high-performance fire control radar capabilities that can integrate with U.S. and international weapon systems, so FA-50 customers maintain air dominance,” said Annabel Flores, president, Global Spectrum Dominance at Raytheon Technologies.
PhantomStrike combines two Raytheon Technologies specialties — a gallium nitride-powered array and the compact high-reliability integrated receiver/exciter processor, or CHIRP — to match the capability of modern AESA radars. The upgrades provide capabilities including digital beam forming and steering, multimode functionality, and interleaved ground and air targeting. Production of the radars will take place in Forest, Mississippi; Tucson, Arizona; and Scotland, with support from Raytheon UK. Initial deliveries are expected in 2025.
Raytheon Technologies is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company. Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitalization, as well as one of the largest providers of intelligence services. Raytheon Technologies manufactures aircraft engines, avionics, aerostructures, cybersecurity solutions, guided missiles, air defense systems, satellites, and drones. The company is also a large military contractor, getting a significant portion of its revenue from the U.S. government.
