SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - South Korea has taken its first steps toward building a domestically produced electronic warfare aircraft, issuing a $1.38 billion tender that would place the country in a select club of nations able to jam and disable enemy radar systems.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, South Korea’s arms procurement agency, set up the plan last month under the title “Electronic Warfare Aircraft (Block-I) System Development Project,” according to industry officials on Thursday. The program calls for the delivery of four aircraft by 2034, with the budget covering both development and production.
Only the United States, Russia and China currently field operational electronic warfare planes, which are considered a critical asset in modern air combat.
The platforms exploit the electromagnetic spectrum — radio signals, radar and infrared — to detect, protect and communicate, while disrupting or degrading an adversary’s ability to do the same.
South Korea’s system is designed to blanket the Korean Peninsula, strengthening its ability to counter North Korea’s increasingly sophisticated missile and radar networks. While Germany, Italy and Japan have pursued similar programs, none have reached deployment.
Four domestic defense firms are competing for the contract.
Korea Aerospace Industries and Korean Air are proposing to convert Bombardier’s G6500 business jet into the base aircraft, while Hanwha Systems and LIG Nex1 are vying to supply jamming and signal interception systems. Bids are due in early September, with the government expected to select contractors by October.
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