South Korea reveals its new indigenous AESA radar prototype for the KF-X fighter

Unveiling the new AESA radar by Hanwha, Elta, and ADD on 7 August 2020.

South Korea has revealed a new indigenous Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar prototype that will be used on the Korea Experimental Fighter (KF-X) program for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF).

The new radar, which is being developed by South Korean company Hanwha Systems in collaboration with Israeli defense company IAI-Elta Systems, and the South Korean government's Agency for Defense Development (ADD), was shown to the public in a ceremony held on 7 August 2020.

IAI-Elta Systems is also expected to assist in the testing and integration phase of the new radar, which is said to be capable of detecting and tracking up to 1,000 targets simultaneously.

The prototype will undergo several more performance and installation tests before being integrated to the KF-X prototype for further testing. The KF-X aircraft prototype itself is also expected to be launched on April 2021.

Once integrated with the KF-X prototype, testing may take 5 more years before development phase can be completed.

South Korea decided to build its own AESA radar after the United States refused to transfer core technologies for AESA fighter radars.

The new AESA radar could also be used as an alternative for the ROKAF's other fighter aircraft.


[1] Jane's