It is a liquid cooled AESA radar featuring quad band modules that can be stacked to form a larger unit.

[2][3] The radar development began in 2012 and its full-scale model was displayed at the 2017 Aero India air show and aviation exhibition.

The integration problem of Astra BVRAAM due to older generation of radars will also be solved by Uttam.

[8] During Aero India 2021, there was a licensing agreements for technology transfer from DRDO to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for manufacturing and integration of the Uttam in the Mark 1A variant of the HAL Tejas.

[10] Once fully validated and certified, it is planned is to introduce the radar in later batches of Tejas Mark 1A aircraft.

[13] Indian Air Force Test Pilot School would start final demonstration trial of Uttam AESA radar from December 2021 and if successful will be sent for serial production.

[8] As of April 2024, the radar has completed 125 test sorties onboard Tejas Mk 1 prototypes as per ADA Director Dr Jitendra Jadhav.

GaN provides better power output, enhanced thermal efficiency, wider bandwidth of operation, and a longer lifespan compared to earlier variants.