The Republic of Korea Air Force is set to receive its new Bombardier Global 6500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in the 2030-2032 timeframe.
The initial two aircraft will be integrated by prime contractor L3Harris in the USA, with the two follow-on examples to undergo work by Korean Air in South Korea, according to Korean Air.
The surveillance aircraft programme involves a partnership between Bombardier, Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems division, Korean Air, and L3Harris. The US company in late-September announced that the consortium had been selected following a competition.
L3Harris now confirms that it has received a contract for the work, with the programme valued at $2.26 billion.
“Following the delivery of the prototype aircraft, the AEW&C programme will transition to Korean industry,” it says. “Aircraft modification and mission system manufacturing will occur in Korea, to include key radar components to ensure the system can be sustained affordably throughout its service life without the need to source parts from overseas.”
Korean Air will also play the lead role in maintaining the aircraft locally.
The four jets will add to South Korea’s fleet of four Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C platforms. Additional E-7s – a derivative of the 737NG – and the Saab GlobalEye; also based on the Global 6500 airframe, were also considered by Seoul for the follow-on AEW&C order.
“Throughout this collaboration, Korean Air will strengthen its capabilities in modification, integration and maintenance for the latest special mission aircraft,” says Jin Kyu Lim, the head of Korean Air’s aerospace division.
“As a leader in the domestic aerospace industry, we are committed to building a robust special mission aircraft sector and contributing to the nation’s defence capabilities.”
Separately, Boeing has confirmed that upgrade work is taking place on various systems used with Seoul’s existing E-7 fleet.
