Israeli radar house Elta is working on a phased-array fire-control radar for fighter aircraft, using technology developed originally for the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Phalcon airborne- early-warning aircraft.
No details of the programme have been released, but the phased-array development, if successful, will supersede Elta's family of planar-array radars, based around its multi-mode EL/M-2032, as its top-line fighter-aircraft offering.
Elta, an IAI subsidiary, has reached agreement with Lockheed Martin that the EL/M 2032 will be fitted to a Lockheed Martin F-16 variant, if the Israeli air force selects the fighter in the Peace Marble 5 competition to be held shortly. The F-16 is being offered in competition with the Boeing F-15I.
The Israeli air force's preference for an indigenous radar is claimed to be in part because it does not have access to the source code for US-manufactured radars. This effectively limits the capability for radar modification and the ability to fully integrate specific weapons independently with the radar.
Elta has exported variants of the EL/M 2032 to Chile as part of the air force's Northrop F-5 upgrade, India, Romania and Turkey.
Source: Flight International
