The Aircraft Nose Radar AESA, produced by ASELSAN with domestic capabilities, made its maiden flight with the F-16 ÖZGÜR.
The “Özgür Project” aimed to indigenize and nationalize Turkey's defense industry equipment, will play an important role in the modernization of existing F-16s. The radar system known as 'Active Phased Array Radar', or AESA, developed by ASELSAN within the framework of the project will significantly increase the capabilities of the radar systems used.
Developed for various air platforms such as AKINCI TİHA, F-16, National Combat Aircraft; AESA was introduced at a ceremony held in November 2022.
The company's social media accounts shared the following statements on the subject:
"We continue to make history in national aviation technologies. ASELSAN National AESA Aircraft Nose Radar made its maiden flight with the F-16 ÖZGÜR platform. ASELSAN AESA Radar will provide significant capability gains to our aircraft with simultaneous air-air and air-ground missions, multiple target detection/tracking, beyond-line-of-sight missile guidance, high-resolution ground imagery and electronic warfare functions. With AESA radar technologies, ASELSAN has become one of the rare institutions in the world."
Ahmet Akyol, General Manager of ASELSAN, shared the following statements on his X account:
"AESA is truly an epoch-defining, game-changing and chain-breaking technology. When we integrate AESA radars into our aircraft, they will no longer have just one eye, but hundreds of eyes and ears working simultaneously, seeing, and hearing from much greater distances, and misleading the enemy.
Our AESA Aircraft Nose Radar, which is produced entirely with national capabilities from the chip level to the final system integration, brings the effectiveness and deterrence of air platforms and our country in the skies to the highest level. We will offer our AESA radar technologies to F-16 ÖZGÜR, HÜRJET, National Combat Aircraft KAAN, AKINCI, KIZILELMA and ANKA-3 UAVs.
Along with AESA radars, we have brought many advanced technologies to our country, and we have established a very comprehensive production infrastructure at ASELSAN facilities, which we are expanding with additional investments. We wish the best to our country and nation."
Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Defense Industry Agency of Türkiye, shared the following on his X account:
"We are offering AESA technology, which represents a huge leap forward for aircraft, to the service of our country. We are proud to bring AESA radar technology, one of the most advanced avionics technologies in the world, to our country. ASELSAN's National AESA Aircraft Nose Radar, with its superior capabilities, gives combat aircraft a generation leap, making them the most intelligent, agile, and powerful fighters of the skies. With the AESA radar, the F-16 ÖZGÜR Platform will move to the level of 4.5th generation aircraft, while KAAN and combat UAVs will become 5th generation and beyond platforms with additional capabilities and low visibility features. I sincerely congratulate ASELSAN engineers working day and night for this high-level radar technology."
