LIG Nex1 unveils AESA radar for FA-50 light fighter

A South Korean aerospace manufacturer and defense company has unveiled a prototype of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar mountable on the country's FA-50 light fighter.

LIG Nex1 Co. on Tuesday said it unveiled the device at a seminar and exhibition on civil and military cooperation hosted by the Republic of Korea Air Force at Daejeon Convention Center in Daejeon.

The prototype radar is the country's first radar using an air-cooling system for fighter jets. Compared to radar using mechanically scanned antenna (MSA) installed on the FA-50, the LIG Next1 model has advantages in simultaneous detection and tracking of multiple targets and simultaneous monitoring of aerial and ground targets.

Its operating modes respond to air, land and sea targets and its compact size and light weight are thanks to a transmission and reception module using an element comprising a mixture of nitrogen and gallium.

AESA radar is a core sensor crucial for next-generation fighter jets. In general, planes with this radar type are considered to have three to four times the combative capacity of those with MSA radar.

A few advanced defense companies abroad have dominated the global market for AESA radar for fighter jets and erected barriers to entry using export licenses. Yet if this domestically developed AESA radar is installed on the FA-50 following the KF-21, the result could be higher competitiveness of the domestic defense industry and exports as well as a stronger national military.

LIG Nex1 has received about 85 billion won ($63.4 million) in public budget under supervision by the government-run Agency for Defense Development and conducted two application studies (2006~2013) and two test development cases (2014~2021) on AESA radar for fighters. The completion of the prototype was thanks to the company's own investment and collaboration with Korea Aerospace Industries.

"For the final completion of the development of the FA-50 AESA radar, homework for verification remains such as tests of ground integration and test aircraft, but the company can overcome many difficulties on its own," LIG Nex1 CEO Kim Ji-chan said, urging support from military authorities.

Write to Mi-Sun Kang at misunny@hankyung.com