As part of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, South Korea is procuring four Boeing E-7 Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft, as the US State Department recently announced. The contract is worth around 4.7 billion euros. The contract also includes 10 CFM56 engines – eight for the aircraft and two more as replacements -, countermeasure and missile warning systems to defend the aircraft, GPS navigation systems, transponders and radio systems.
This purchase is intended to improve South Korea’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as well as its airborne early warning and control capabilities, according to an official statement. In particular, the E-7 fleet will be able to better detect, monitor and respond to air and missile threats emanating from North Korea. The interoperability between the South Korean air force (ROKAF) and the US military (-> current news about the US armed forces) will be further enhanced. https://militaeraktuell.at/multinationale-uebung-freezing-winds-24-startet/ Harpreet Sidhu, Aerospace and Defense Analyst at Global Data, also addressed this point in a recent analysis: “The E-7 aircraft, which is known for its advanced radar and surveillance capabilities, will provide South Korea with comprehensive situational awareness and strengthen its ability to monitor contested airspace. This will also enhance the ROKAF’s interoperability with the U.S. and other APAC allies, especially in the face of increasing North Korean missile threats.” According to a report by the data and analytics firm, there has been an increase in the procurement of AEW&C category aircraft in some countries across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in recent years. For example, US allies the UK (three) and Australia (six) have also procured E-7 AEW&C systems. Japan and India are also modernizing their air surveillance capabilities. According to Global Data, this signals “a broader regional focus on air defense”.
Also striking in the report is that 65 percent of South Korea’s fixed-wing fleet is relatively modern, with an average age of less than 20 years. The procurement of the E-7 will further reduce the average age. This underscores South Korea’s commitment to maintaining a robust and technologically advanced air fleet, according to the Global Data report. Analyst Sidhu also said that South Korea would no longer be as reliant on ground-based radar, making its defense strategy more flexible and resilient. “With the acquisition of the E-7 AEW&C aircraft, South Korea will build a powerful aerial surveillance and control network that will enable it to detect and track threats over long distances and altitudes. This is crucial to detect potential aerial attacks by North Korea,” concludes Sidhu.
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