[Defense Column] The Reborn F-15K: 'The Core is the Radar'

[Monthly Defense Times Editor-in-Chief An Seung-beom] At the SEOUL ADEX 2021 international defense exhibition held from the 19th to the 23rd, the APG-82(V)1 radar for the performance upgrade of the F-15K Slam Eagle fighter jet was introduced.

The core of the Air Force's F-15K Slam Eagle performance upgrade project, which will be promoted from 2022, lies in replacing the onboard radar. Although the Air Force's mainstay is the F-35A stealth fighter, the role of the F-15K Slam Eagle is also very important.

Although classified as a non-stealth fighter, its endurance and armament capabilities are among the best in Western fighters, so after suppressing enemy air defenses, the F-15K Slam Eagle is used to complete strikes on ground targets.

The current radar of the F-15K Slam Eagle is the mechanical APG-63(V)1, but to overwhelm the mainstay Su-35 Super Flanker fighters of the Far East Russian Air Force, replacement with a new radar is required.

The U.S. Air Force is upgrading the mechanical APG-70 radar of its F-15E Strike Eagle fighters to the electronically scanned APG-82(V)1 radar.

The APG-82(V)1 radar is an electronically scanned AESA radar. Since this system was developed based on the earlier APG-63(V)3 electronically scanned radar, it was initially classified as the APG-63(V)4 radar.

Not only the U.S. Air Force but also the Israeli Air Force decided to adopt this system for upgrading their F-15I Ra'am. Initially, the Israeli Air Force considered equipping the F-15I with the APG-81 electronically scanned radar used on the F-35I stealth fighter to share radar logistics support (including maintenance) and training infrastructure, but later switched to integrating the APG-82(V)1 electronically scanned radar, which has integration certification for the F-15E Strike Eagle series aircraft.

Evaluated as one of the best existing electronically scanned AESA radars, this system was proposed as the electronically scanned AESA radar for Boeing's F-15SE Silent Eagle during South Korea's 3rd F-X fighter project in 2013.

This system was designed based on the hardware of the APG-63(V)3 electronically scanned AESA radar adopted by the Singapore Air Force for their F-15SG fighters, but it adopted many new systems, resulting in a radar with completely different signal control and processing processors. Improvements include electronic warfare capabilities and missile threat warning capabilities.

The APG-82(V)1 electronically scanned AESA radar possesses common modes such as RWS, TWS, STT, and DTT, as well as modes only possible with electronically scanned AESA radars like Cued search and SWT. The Cued search mode is a mode that continuously tracks multiple targets, enabling more precise target tracking.

With the performance upgrade of the F-15K Slam Eagle fighter, the era of electronically scanned AESA radars will open alongside the F-35A stealth fighter, KF-16V Viper fighter, and the domestically produced KF-21 Boramae fighter.