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The Turkish Air Force through the Ozgur program will carry out a major upgrade of its F-16 fighter jet fleet to the 'Viper' standard. What's interesting about the Ozgur program is that several important components on the fighter are supplied by domestic companies. And one component that has received great attention is the adoption of the Murad AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar produced by Aselsan.
Of course, the upgrade of the F-16 using non-US components requires approval from Washington, which for this permission was obtained by a difficult 'struggle' at the level of bilateral lobbying. However, the point that can be observed from the adoption of the Murad AESA radar is that Northrop Grumman has the potential to get a rival in the marketing of the AESA radar for the F-16 Block 72 Viper.
As is known, the AESA radar package for the F-16 Viper based on standard specifications refers to Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83. Northrop Grumman calls the AN/APG-83 the SABR (Scalable Agile Beam Radar) label, which is a radar that has greater bandwidth, speed, agility and offers pilots fifth-generation radar combat capabilities.
Quoting a source from savunmasanayist.com (2/8/2023), it was stated that the first flight test of the F-16 Block 30 with the Murad radar will begin in September 2023, where currently there are two Turkish Air Force F-16s that are currently in the process. system integration, including installation of the mission computer in the Ozgur program.
In terms of appearance and design, the Murad and AN/APG-83 SABR are relatively similar, because they were specifically designed to adapt the typical F-16 radome shape.
Aselsan designed the Murad AESA radar not only for the F-16, but also for the Akinci combat drone (UCAV) and the KAAN stealth fighter jet (formerly – TF-X). The Murad radar was built using the latest Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology. This multifunctional radar is capable of carrying out air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea missions simultaneously and has the ability to serve electronic warfare (electronic warfare).
With GaN technology, the Murad radar has a higher power efficiency, which means it can produce more power output with lower power consumption. This makes it suitable for radar applications where high power requirements and better heat resistance are required. GaN technology enables Murad to achieve greater transmitter power, better heat resistance, and more accurate search and track performance in a variety of combat situations.
Other specifications of the Murad have not been released, such as the detection range of the radar. For comparison, the AN/APG-83 SABR has a detection range of 120 km, while target identification can be carried out at a distance of 84 km. Simultaneously, this radar can track more than 20 targets, including engaging in warfare in beyond visual range and maritime modes.
It is not yet known which one is superior, whether Murad or SABR. If Murad is able to match the performance of the AN/APG-83, it will be a big achievement for Aselsan.
About export potential? Seeing the large market for upgrading the older F-16 series to the Viper standard, there is a great opportunity to market the Murad to countries using the F-16.
But again, for export matters related to products (aircraft) made in the US, it is certain that all phases must get a 'green light' from Washington.
