IAF Backs Upscaled UTTAM Aesa Radar for the Su-30MKI fleet

IMAGE COURTESY @ KUNTAL BISWAS / ARTIST RENDITION

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is satisfied at the rate of progress of the Indigenous Uttam Aesa Fire Control Radar (FCR) which is under development for the Tejas Mk2 program and even likely to be used for Tejas Mk1A Block-II Batches and have backed a proposal to develop a Scaled-up UTTAM Aesa Radar to be used for other fighter jets.

Deputy Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, for the first time, has confirmed that IAF is keen that a Scaled-up UTTAM Aesa Radar is developed particularly for the Su-30MKI fleet.

Scaled-up UTTAM Aesa Radar basically will leverage large Nose cone space, which is available to its advantage allowing it to be adapted to aircraft nose limitations. Scaled-up UTTAM Aesa Radar will feature a larger antenna size with more Transmit/Receive (T/R) modules.

UTTAM Aesa Radar under development will feature 700 T/R modules, for Tejas Mk1A and Tejas Mk2 program. but later versions of the Tejas Mk2 might get slightly upscaled UTTAM Aesa Radar with 1000 T/R modules, and the same, might be also used on the TEDBF jet which will be developed for the Carrier based requirement for the Indian Navy. Su-30MKI Enjoys bigger Nose cone space which means a larger antenna size with 1200-1300 T/R modules can be developed if it can meet its 8-10 kVA power requirement.

LRDE is also working to develop, next-generation Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductors, which will have better performance, in terms of electronic counter-countermeasures, small target detection, and wider bandwidth than most current AESA sensors that employ Gallium arsenide (GaAs) TRMs, while consuming less power and generating less heat. GaN radar might be first seen in the 5.5th Generation AMCA fighter jet and might be later adopted to other fighter fleets.

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