Ten minutes into the test flight, it was time to put a new radar through its paces. A crew member pressed the button, and pilot Rob “Houdini” Swaringen glanced at the display. He couldn’t share the exact details of what appeared, but his reaction said it all: the compact system was delivering powerful results. Engineers and program representatives quickly crowded into the cockpit to see it for themselves.
“It’s the first time this thing is flying, and it worked like a champ,” said Swaringen, a former F-16 pilot.
The flight, conducted on Raytheon’s modified Boeing 727 test bed, marked a major milestone for the company’s PhantomStrike® radar. Designed to bring active electronically scanned array (AESA) performance in a package small and light enough for almost any aircraft—even UAVs—it promises new capabilities across today’s rapidly evolving fleets.
A Clearer Picture in the Air
PhantomStrike is cooled entirely by air from the host platform, eliminating the need for extensive plumbing or connections. Installation took only a few hours. For Swaringen, who has flown countless missions, the system offers unmatched situational awareness.
“It shows 10 times what I could see with older systems,” he said. “Having that level of clarity in your own cockpit—independent of radio calls or link displays—is a real game changer.”
The first test images revealed detailed California terrain—dry plains, forests, lakes, and coastal islands—demonstrating the radar’s precision. For Larry Martin, Raytheon senior technology fellow and technical lead, it was validation of years of development. “It was the cherry on top to see it work,” he said.
Small Size, Big Impact
Weighing under 130 pounds and scalable to the size of a gaming computer, PhantomStrike can be integrated on light-attack jets, helicopters, and drones. Its unique design allows engineers to tailor the radar’s shape to fit even space- and power-constrained aircraft.
For the military, that versatility has significant implications. A group of small UAVs equipped with PhantomStrike could see farther and wider, keeping larger, crewed aircraft safely out of harm’s way.
The AESA Advantage
Much like consumer tech trends that make devices smaller but smarter, PhantomStrike brings AESA’s benefits to more platforms. These include digital beam steering, multi-mode operation, and the ability to simultaneously track and engage both air and ground targets.
“Not only can I see where targets are and what they’re doing, but I can manage my weapons and identify friend or foe more effectively,” Swaringen explained.
The radar already has its first major customer: Korea Aerospace Industries, which will equip more than 50 FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft with PhantomStrike. Interest is spreading fast, said Raytheon’s Richard Sandifer. “We want to get these out the door quickly. We’re working aggressively with the U.S. government to expand adoption worldwide.”
