According to the company, the radar incorporates cutting-edge gallium nitride (GaN) technology to enhance the radar’s effectiveness, delivering increased range, advanced air-to-air, air-to-ground, and electronic warfare capabilities. A company spokesperson added that the sensor detects and tracks more rapidly and engages “with multi-function fire control and EW [Electronic Warfare] capabilities.”
“It will help warfighters make faster decisions and provide superior situational awareness in contested environments,” the spokesperson said. GaN supports higher voltages but generates less heat than gallium arsenide (GaAs), potentially allowing a more dense array of transmit-receive (TR) modules in the same space and with less weight.
An Air Force official commented that “more power is good” because “we are now in this contest where we and the adversary are pushing each other back,” citing the importance of enhanced sensing and greater detection range. The official added that the range of weapons is becoming “the key currency” in air-to-air competition.
Raytheon stated that the APG-82(V)X is an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar containing thousands of TR modules, which enable rapid switching between broadcasting and detecting signals. The radar can locate and range targets, spoof other radars, and jam communications.
“It provides a crucial first-look, first-shoot advantage,” said Dan Theisen, president of Raytheon’s Advanced Products and Solutions group. He stated that the radar will give the F-15EX pilot “superior situational awareness.”
Raytheon noted that the sensor will be paired with faster processors capable of handling the radar’s improved sensitivity and frequency agility, reducing the probability of intercept. A company official said the unit has “essentially the same internal footprint as the existing APG-82(V)1,” allowing for easier replacement.
This capability is seen as especially relevant for the F-15EX, which does not feature stealth design and must engage targets from longer ranges. The announcement of the radar came nearly simultaneously with Raytheon’s disclosure that it had achieved a new distance record for the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, the F-15EX’s primary air-to-air weapon.
Raytheon did not specify the increased range achieved in the test, stating only that the improvement was “significant.” The APG-82(V)X builds on the existing APG-82(V)1 radar, which is currently in use on the F-15E and F-15EX aircraft.
The radar is being developed at Raytheon’s facility in El Segundo, California, and would be produced in Forest, Mississippi, where the APG-82(V)1 is manufactured. Raytheon confirmed that the radar would also be exportable to international operators of the F-15EX and its variants, including Indonesia, which has requested 24 F-15EXs, Israel, which has indicated its intention to acquire the F-15IA, and Poland, which has expressed interest.
Raytheon added that the radar is “scalable” and compliant with open-architecture standards, making it adaptable to other platforms and missions. An Air Force official said the APG-82(V)X could “head off” certain “vanishing vendor” concerns associated with the APG-82(V)1, which has been in service for 15 years and contains parts that are becoming increasingly difficult to source.
Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine.
