Lets analyze the statement.
Their is no such thing as GaN radars. GaN is used to build AFE of the TR Modules. That roughly comprises of 33% of TR Modules. Rest of TR module is all the intelligence that is required for the TR Module, SDR, interfacing with Radar Computer, cooling, etc.
Radiated power output depends on lot of things like antenna design, beam-forming capabilities, accuracy of beam steering, side lobe, SNR, heat extraction capabilities arising from power dissipated, T/R module's manufacturing tolerances,
GaN’s high power density, or its ability to dissipate heat from a small package, makes it so impressive. While GaAs has a basic power density of about 1.5 W/mm, GaN has a power density ranging from 5 to 12 W/mm. Unlike GaAs, the high breakdown voltage of GaN supports high electric field strength in the device. By operating at a higher voltage, GaN-based amplifiers are able to provide a much higher output power in a smaller space.
Using GaN technology in the design of the TR module’s power amplifier maximizes the transmit output power while minimizing the physical size. In addition to shrinking the size of the amplifier die, the use of high-power GaN reduces the need to use many lower-power devices. Since the passive combining networks that are used to combine multiple die are large and introduce loss into the signal path, having fewer of them improves the power density in the TR module.
GaN offer high power density, but when compared to GaAs, the higher bias voltage of GaN simplifies the process of designing a broadband impedance match. This enables a single GaN amplifier to operate over a wide bandwidth, enabling robust and multifunction AESA systems.
The higher bias voltage of GaN offers an additional benefit at the circuit level. Since power is the product of voltage and current, for a constant power, the higher bias voltage of GaN leads to lower current. When the current is reduced, the loss in the bias circuit is also reduced, which improves the efficiency of the amplifier.
GaN technology – while it can improve the performance of the output amplifier in the TR module – can also be used on the receive side. It’s a fact that maximizing the SNR requires both increasing the signal strength and decreasing the noise; when the receiver chain is examined, one source of noise is the protection limiter at the input to the low-noise amplifier since each dB of loss in the limiter equates to an additional dB of noise figure. By using GaN as the semiconductor material for the LNA, it is possible to design out the limiter since GaN can withstand higher input voltages without damage. This leads to a net improvement in the receiver’s noise figure, maximizing the SNR and the range of the radar system. Also, by removing the limiter from the design there is more space in the TR module for other circuitry.
GaN is nowhere compared to GaAs for having lesser power consumption.
