South Korea has signed a deal with the Philippines to provide support and maintenance services for fighter jets, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said on Monday. Under the performance-based logistics (PBL) deal, worth about 101.4 billion Korean won (about US$70 million), which runs through 2028, KAI will provide maintenance and logistics support for its FA-50 fighter jets supplied to the Philippines. The three-year deal comes as an initial one-year pil

With hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into Middle Eastern rearmament, South Korea’s defense industry is moving aggressively to claim its share—using a major arms fair in Riyadh as the gateway to a $109 billion market. The coordinated push is centered on the World Defense Show (WDS), running from Feb. 8 to 12 in the Saudi capital. The event is the region’s largest integrated defense exhibition and a key platform for securing long-te

The South Korean Air Force and the U.S. Air Force on Monday began their first Buddy Squadron exercise of the year, which runs through Friday, at Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province. The Buddy Squadron exercise is a squadron-level combined air drill in which South Korean and U.S. fighter units take turns training together at air bases across the country. The exercise began in 1991 under the name “Friendship Training” to enhance combined operat

Hanwha is set to showcase next-generation, AI-enabled weapon systems on the global stage for the first time, signaling a major push into the Middle Eastern defense market and a deepening strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia. Hanwha aims to demonstrate South Korea’s defense competitiveness at the World Defense Show 2026 (WDS), to be held in Riyadh from Feb. 8 to 12. Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Ocean announced Wednesday that they