Hanwha Systems, First Export of AESA Radar Antenna

Supply Contract with Leonardo... Finished Product Production Scheduled for 2026

Hanwha Systems' AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar antenna for fighter jets is making its first entry into Europe.

Hanwha Systems and Leonardo have signed a contract to supply 'Light Attack Aircraft AESA Radar' antennas locally in Italy. On the right in the photo is Park Hyuk, Head of Surveillance and Reconnaissance Business at Hanwha Systems, and on the left is Fabrizio Boggiani, Executive Vice President of Avionics and Mission Equipment at Leonardo. Photo by Hanwha Systems

According to Hanwha Systems on the 14th, on the 13th (local time), they signed a contract to supply 'light attack aircraft AESA radar' antennas with Leonardo, a leading European aerospace and defense company, in Italy. Leonardo is a global defense company that develops various aviation platforms and solutions, including aircraft, radar, and avionics equipment.

The two companies will also jointly develop an export-oriented light attack aircraft AESA radar. The core of this project is to create an AESA radar for light fighters (light attack aircraft) based on the Korean fighter jet (KF-21) AESA radar technology. Specifically, Hanwha Systems will be responsible for the development and manufacturing of the antenna (AAU) and will export and supply it to Leonardo starting from September next year. Leonardo plans to manufacture the complete AESA radar for light attack aircraft from 2026 by producing and integrating the signal processing unit, power supply unit, and cooling system.

Notably, the antenna supplied and exported by Hanwha Systems is a key component that accounts for more than 50% of the AESA radar product price. The AESA radar is mounted on the front of the fighter jet and functions as the 'eyes' of the aircraft. It is a state-of-the-art radar capable of simultaneously performing various missions such as detecting and tracking air, ground, and sea targets.

Compared to mechanical radars, AESA radars can detect a wider area and engage multiple targets simultaneously, which has recently drawn attention as a project to improve fighter jet performance by replacing mechanical radars installed on existing fighter jets with AESA radars. This is the first time that an antenna for aircraft AESA radar, developed with domestic technology, is being exported overseas.

Hanwha Systems expects that exports of the light attack aircraft AESA radar will be possible not only to Europe, including Italy, which is part of Leonardo's supply chain, but also to the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Uh Seong-cheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said, "Like the multifunction radar (MFR) for surface-to-air guided weapon systems such as Cheongung-II, which has recently seen expanding exports, we expect that in the future, aircraft AESA radar will also establish itself as one of our 'export star' products." He added, "We will continue to strengthen cooperation with Leonardo and develop key components and finished products of various AESA radars to expand export regions to various countries including Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Latin America."