Raytheon’s PhantomStrike radar brings compact AESA power to small aircraft and UAVs

“It’s the first time this thing is flying, and it worked like a champ,” said Rob Swaringen, Raytheon’s chief test bed pilot and a former F-16 pilot. He described the radar as providing “10 times what I could see with previous capabilities” and called the situational awareness it delivers in the cockpit “a real game changer.”

The PhantomStrike radar is cooled entirely by air drawn from the aircraft, enabling installation in just a few hours. Scanned images from the test clearly showed detailed terrain in California, proving the system’s ability to deliver a precise air picture.

“It was the cherry on top to see it work,” said Larry Martin, senior technology fellow at Raytheon and technical lead for the radar. He added: “Once we were integrated on the plane, it was a big relief. A lot of questions were answered on our initial flights.”

Scaling down to the size of a gaming computer and weighing under 130 pounds, PhantomStrike is designed for light attack aircraft, rotary platforms and UAVs. “It’s basically a large, printed wiring board, so we can cut it to any kind of shape to meet the demands of the tiny aircraft or the SWaP-C-constrained aircraft,” said senior systems engineer Dave Kupfer.

The system brings active electronically scanned array (AESA) advantages such as digital beam steering and multi-mode tracking to more aircraft types. “Not only can I see where [the targets] are and what they’re doing, but now I can use that information to manage what missiles I have and then to identify what is friendly, what is foe,” Swaringen explained.

Korea Aerospace Industries has already ordered PhantomStrike radars for more than 50 FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft. “We want to get these things moving out the door,” said Richard Sandifer, director for strategic pursuits at Raytheon, who noted that the company is working with the U.S. government to expand international sales.

“There are people still flying around with 1980s radar technology. We are setting a standard for new AESA radars,” added Kupfer. According to Martin, the system’s gallium nitride-powered array and compact high-reliability integrated receiver/processor give it “the sweet spot of power, performance and mission needs.”

Source: RTX.