![](\"http:\/\/img231.imageshack.us\/img231\/9088\/2677284657814d6db01ac5d.jpg\")
While there are a number of advantages to AESA radars, including reliability, flexibility, range, and low signature, there are also disadvantages, most notably cost, weight, and look angle.<\/p>\nWhile there are a number of advantages to AESA radars, including reliability, flexibility, range, and low signature, there are also disadvantages, most notably cost, weight, and look angle.<\/p>\n
An AESA radar will typically offer inferior performance at significant angles off boresight, and a narrower field of view.<\/p>\n
It appears that SAAB is following Eurofighter’s lead<\/a>, and will offer a swashplate AESA radar for Gripen NG<\/a> (see picture), in partnership with Radar supplier Selex, offering a “scan angle of up to 100\u00b0” (off boresite).<\/p>\n This should address one of the concerns of potential customers, though there is still the whole “chicken-egg” thing, where the customer does not want to be the only foreign customer for the system, or support and upgrades become prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n