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| South Korea Deploys F-16U Fighter with AESA Radar to Exercise Pitch Black 2022 |
Seoul - The South Korean Air Force deployed a modernized F 16U fighter to Australia. This was done in the Pitch Black 2022 practice.
The Pitch Black 2022 exercise was attended by various countries, such as Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Singapore, Japan, UK, Philippines, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Netherlands, Malaysia, New Zealand, and the US.
According to a Royal Australian Air Force statement, the exercise was organized with the aim of enhancing regional security through interoperability and multinational understanding. Interestingly, the F 16Us that South Korea deployed in this exercise use the new AESA radar.
Quoted from Military Watch Magazine, the F-16 has been modernized with fifth-generation avionics. This includes a new mission computer, a completely new cockpit display, and a new electronic warfare suite. Most significantly, the mechanically scanned array radar of the F-16u has been replaced with the AN/APG-83 electronically scanned array radar (AESA).
It is this AESA radar that provides compatibility with various new weapon classes. The F 16U upgrade package is essential to prevent squadrons from becoming obsolete. Especially the AN/APG-83 which provides a tremendous increase in situational awareness and electronic warfare capabilities.
The AESA radar was also developed for the KF-21 Boramae. Where this aircraft is a 4.5 generation fighter jet that is very sophisticated.
Quoted from Yonhap News, Hanwha Systems said that the AESA radar for the KF-21 aircraft is described as the "eye and brain of the aircraft" which allows it to see further any forms of impending threats. "The KF-21 AESA radar is one of the most important avionics sensors that performs various missions such as monitoring, tracking air and ground targets and producing video images," the South Korean company said.
In this case, DAPA used a special Boeing 737 test aircraft to test the AESA radar developed by Hanhwa. The AESA radar for the KF-21 itself is designed to detect and identify multiple targets simultaneously at a distance of hundreds of kilometers (the actual capabilities are still kept secret).
In addition to equipping the KF-21 aircraft with AESA radar, the Hanwha and DAPA companies also plan to equip domestically made fighter aircraft including the FA-50 with Hanwha's AESA radar.