Defense Acquisition Program Administration Decides to Procure 2 Additional Airborne Early Warning Aircraft

Air Force E-737 Peace Eye and F-15K formations participating in the patrol flight conducted by the Air Force to mark the New Year 2016 are flying. (Photo by Air Force)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]The airborne control aircraft, known as the 'command post in the sky,' will be additionally procured from overseas.

On the 26th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held the 128th Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee (hereafter DAPPC) meeting and reviewed and approved the 'Basic Strategy for the 2nd Airborne Control Aircraft Project (draft)' which includes plans for overseas procurement of airborne control aircraft.

The exact number of units to be procured has not been disclosed, but it is known that there is a high possibility of two additional units being introduced. Currently, the Air Force operates four 'E-737 Peace Eye' airborne control aircraft.

The airborne control aircraft detects targets such as enemy missiles and aircraft, and commands and controls friendly forces, also being called an airborne early warning and control aircraft.

The 2nd airborne control aircraft project will be carried out from 2021 to 2027, with a total project cost of approximately 1.59 trillion KRW.

Also reviewed and approved at the meeting was the 'Basic Strategy for the 2nd Baekdu System Capability Enhancement Project (draft),' a project to reinforce the capabilities of the currently operated Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft. This project aims to secure weapon systems that collect signal intelligence occurring around the Korean Peninsula and will be pursued through domestic research and development.

The Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft is reported to intercept radio communications emitted from North Korean military facilities and can even detect rocket engine flames. The project period is from 2021 to 2026, with a total project cost of approximately 870 billion KRW. The additional procurement of airborne control aircraft and enhancement of Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft capabilities are expected to strengthen the military’s independent surveillance capabilities against North Korea.

At the same DAPPC meeting, DAPA also reviewed and approved the 'Decision on the 2nd Tactical Introduction Trainer Project Model (draft).' DAPA decided to introduce the TA-50 Block-2 as the new tactical introduction trainer aircraft.

The tactical introduction trainer aircraft refers to aircraft used for training combat pilots in the Air Force. Currently, the TA-50 advanced trainer is used as the Air Force’s tactical introduction trainer. The Block-2 version, which has been decided for procurement, is an improved version compared to the existing trainer. The project will proceed until 2024, with a total project cost of approximately 1 trillion KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.