Uttam Mk2 and Tejas MkII: India is moving fast with the Tejas MkII fighter plan because the Air Force needs more squadrons. While the jet itself is getting attention, a new upgrade to the homegrown radar is getting even more praise. The next version of the Uttam AESA radar, called Uttam Mk2, will use a new swashplate system that can physically move the radar side to side. This helps the radar see more than 100 degrees and lets it look through a huge 140-degree search area inside a 200-degree look angle, reported IDRW.
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This upgrade comes from DRDO’s Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, also known as LRDE. The new system fixes a problem that normal fixed radars face because they cannot look far to the sides. The first Tejas MkII prototype should fly in 2027, and this upgraded Uttam helps the Indian jet match fighters like the Saab Gripen E and the Eurofighter Typhoon in long-range battles.
How Uttam Mk2 is Built
The new radar grows from the older Uttam Mk1 that already flew on Tejas Mk1A test jets. The team has now moved from gallium arsenide tech to gallium nitride tech, which gives more power and a longer reach. The Mk2 radar can track targets at around 250 km when they are fighter-sized and it also stands strong against jamming. Even with the new parts, the radar still fits inside the jet’s nose cone.
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Older AESA radars, like the Uttam Mk1, only look about 60 degrees to each side. This small view forces a pilot to point the jet toward danger, which is risky when a fight becomes fast and close. The new radar uses a swashplate, which is like a moving base that can tilt the radar in many directions.
This movement lets the radar look up to +100 degrees in both up-down and left-right directions. As DRDO explained, “The swashplate enables the radar to scan a 140-degree search volume within a 200-degree look-angle, allowing the Tejas MkII to detect and engage threats from unconventional angles.”
The idea is similar to some high-end Western radars, but India builds about 90% of the parts at home. This keeps the cost about 30-40% less than buying radars from other countries. The GaN modules in the radar each give around 10-15 watts and stay cool even during long use. The Uttam Mk2 can watch 64 targets at one time and can attack 6 at once using missiles like the Astra Mk2.
