An artist’s representation of L3Harris’ Phoenix aircraft for the RoKAF. (L3Harris)
South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has selected L3Harris to meet a requirement for a new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and formally approved a domestic project to develop a new long-range air-to-air missile (LRAAM).
DAPA said on 30 September that the project to supply four AEW&C aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) is worth nearly KRW3.1 trillion (USD2.2 billion) up until 2032. The separate LRAAM programme is costed at KRW753.3 billion and will run from 2026 to 2033.
In a press release, DAPA said it selected L3Harris’ proposal, which features a Bombardier Global 6500 airframe equipped with the ELW-2085 multiband radar produced by Israeli firm Elta, following an evaluation of programme bidders.
Janes has previously reported that other contenders for the contract included Saab’s GlobalEye AEW&C, which is also based on the Global 6500, and the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail, which is based on the Boeing 737-700 Boeing Business Jet.
According to DAPA, the procurement aims to secure “additional AEW&C aircraft through an overseas acquisition to ensure a completeness of air surveillance and airborne control capabilities in response to increasing aerial threats from North Korea and neighbouring countries”.
DAPA has termed the procurement its Airborne Early Warning-II (AEW-II) programme. The procured aircraft will augment the RoKAF’s existing four Boeing E-7A Wedgetails, which were acquired from 2011.
According to L3Harris, its proposal for the RoKAF, which it has dubbed ‘Phoenix’, integrates a “modular open systems approach (MOSA)” digital backbone that enables upgrades to address new threats. In addition to the ELW-2085 radar, the proposal includes integration of Elta’s artificial intelligence algorithms, said L3Harris.
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