Poland's FA-50 aircraft to be equipped with PhantomStrike radar

Poland's KAI FA-50 light attack aircraft ordered in 2022 will be equipped with the PhantomStrike radar, with deliveries expected by 2025. (KAI)

Poland's FA-50 Fighting Eagle aircraft – manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) – will be equipped with Raytheon's PhantomStrike radar, a Raytheon spokesperson confirmed to Janes on 17 May.

The PhantomStrike active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is a compact platform designed for light attack aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and stationary platforms.

The radar “configured for KAI comes in under 150 pounds, or approximately 68 kg, inclusive of the array, [a processor called] Chirp, the power conditioning unit, and cabling. This is about half the weight of modern fire-control AESA radars and is significantly smaller. Designing the system to be air-cooled versus liquid-cooled allowed us to significantly reduce overall weight”, the spokesperson said. They were unable to divulge further technical details about the system.

In 2022, Poland ordered 48 FA-50s for USD3 billion to augment the country's fleet of 48 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50+ Fighting Falcons.

Although Raytheon was unable to comment on the number of units acquired, Poland has earlier disclosed its intention to equip 36 out of the 48 aircraft ordered with the PhantomStrike radar, the spokesperson said.

Deliveries for the 36 combat aircraft are expected to be completed by 2025, the spokesperson added.

In June 2022, Eric Ditmars, president of Secure Sensor Solutions at Raytheon, told Janes that the company was in discussions with customers about equipping various F-5, FA-50, and certain UAVs with PhantomStrike.