[Defense Interview] Raytheon: "‘ISTAR-K’ for Korean Defense Cooperation"

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Joint Stars program, known as the Joint Mobile Target Surveillance and Control Aircraft project, is expected to gain momentum starting with the next government. This project aims to secure four units with a budget between 1 to 2 trillion won, as specified in the Defense Mid-term Plan 2021-2025. In particular, it is anticipated that the project will proceed in earnest after the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, who has emphasized the introduction of strategic assets.

Raytheon Technologies is determined to challenge the Joint Mobile Target Surveillance and Control Aircraft project with the 'ISTAR-K' aircraft, which the United States approved for export in 2018. The ISTAR-K is built on the platform of the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet from Canada.

Dick Sandifer, General Manager of Raytheon Technologies (photo), cited operational and maintenance costs as the reason for selecting the Bombardier 6500 as the platform for the ISTAR-K.

He said, "The ISTAR system is operated for more than 30 years after introduction, and the operational and maintenance costs of the Bombardier 6500 are about half those of the Boeing 737. The engine can also fly up to an altitude of 45,000 feet and operate for up to 10 hours, making it convenient for missions."

He also explained, "The ISTAR system applies Multi-Intelligence by integrating AESA radar, Signals Intelligence equipment (SIGINT), and various sensors to provide real-time information, enabling rapid operational decisions not only for our own military but also for allied forces."

General Manager Dick Sandifer emphasized, "The SIGINT equipment has a wide operational radius, capable of target surveillance up to 370 km at an altitude of 42,000 feet and 390 km at 45,000 feet."

The ISTAR-K project also involves Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). KAI plans to dispatch engineers to the United States to jointly produce the initial two units with Raytheon, while the remaining two aircraft will be produced domestically.

This is also related to Raytheon's technology transfer to Korea. General Manager Dick Sandifer said, "More than 30% of ISTAR-K production will involve Korean companies," adding, "We have signed a technology cooperation agreement to enable KAI to participate in airframe design, software design, and capability enhancement."

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