한화시스템의 국산 전투기용 AESA 레이다(능동위상배열레이다, Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar)가 유럽 방산기업에 수출되며, 본격적인 유럽 시장 진출의 포문을 열었다.
EU defense company Leonardo signs supply contract
Hanwha Systems' domestically produced AESA radar (Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar) for fighter jets has been exported to a European defense company, opening the door to full-scale entry into the European market.
Hanwha Systems announced on the 13th that it has signed a contract to supply antennas for the 'Light Combat Aircraft AESA Radar' with Leonardo, a leading European aerospace and defense company.
Leonardo is a global defense company that develops various aviation platforms and solutions, including aircraft, radars, and avionics equipment.
Under this contract, Hanwha Systems will begin exporting and supplying core AESA radar devices to Leonardo, and the two companies will jointly develop AESA radars for light attack aircraft for export overseas.
Hanwha Systems will be in charge of developing and manufacturing the antenna (AAU, AESA Antenna Unit) and will export and supply it to Leonardo starting in September next year. Leonardo will manufacture and integrate the signal processing unit, power supply unit, and cooling unit, and plans to produce the finished AESA radar for light attack aircraft starting in 2026.
The gist of this project is to create an AESA radar for a light combat aircraft based on the AESA radar technology of the Korean fighter (KF-21) developed under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development.
<bThe 'antenna' exported and supplied by Hanwha Systems is a key device that accounts for more than 50% of the price of AESA radar products.
This is the first time that the antenna, one of the most important parts of an AESA radar for aircraft, has been developed using domestic technology and exported overseas.
Hanwha Systems explained that it is highly unusual for Leonardo, a leading global defense company, to select Korea's AESA radar antenna equipment, and that Hanwha Systems was able to successfully secure this contract based on its excellent radar technology.
The AESA radar, which is mounted on the front of a fighter jet and acts as its “eyes,” is a state-of-the-art radar capable of simultaneously performing various missions, such as detecting and tracking air, ground, and sea targets.
The project to improve the performance of fighter jets by replacing the mechanical radars installed on existing fighter jets with AESA radars is currently in the spotlight, as they can detect a wider area than mechanical radars and engage multiple targets simultaneously.
This time, Hanwha Systems is exporting key equipment, and the AESA radar jointly developed by the two companies reflects high-efficiency semiconductor transceivers and digital radar technology.
It can be mounted on small, light, and low-power combat aircraft such as our country's FA-50 and Italy's light fighter jet.
Leonardo has developed and has a number of European light attack aircraft and trainers, and the AESA radar being jointly developed is expected to be pre-installed on Leonardo's light attack aircraft.
Hanwha Systems and Leonardo signed a 'Head of Agreement (HoA) for the export of a light attack aircraft AESA radar prototype' in June of last year and have continued their business cooperation.
Hanwha Systems is in this businessIt is expected that the AESA radar for attack aircraft will be actively exported to Asia-Pacific regions as well as Europe, including Italy, which is Leonardo's supply chain.
Sung-chul Oh, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said, “Just like the multi-function radar (MFR) for surface-to-air guided weapon systems such as the Cheongung-II, which has recently seen increased exports, we expect that in the future, AESA radars for aircraft will also establish themselves as our ‘export marquee’ products,” adding, “We plan to continue to strengthen our cooperation with Leonardo and develop various core devices and finished products for AESA radars to expand our export regions to various countries including Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Central and South America.”
Jang Dong-hyeok, a researcher at Hanwha Systems’ Radar Research Institute, said, “I feel like all the time I spent with many researchers, saving up sleep while focusing on research and development of AESA radar and antennas, has been rewarded,” and added, “We will continue to conduct research on next-generation AESA radars in the future so that we can make more countries aware of the status of our excellent domestic radar technology.” He expressed his feelings about this export news.
Meanwhile, Hanwha Systems is about to begin the first mass production of the AESA radar for the Korean fighter (KF-21) developed under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development.