CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand \u2014 South Korea\u2019s next-generation airborne early warning and control \u2013 or AEW&C \u2013 aircraft will be based on Bombardier\u2019s Global 6500 airframe, with L3Harris Technologies acting as lead integrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The formal announcement of the selection came on Sep. 30, and an L3Harris Technologies spokesperson subsequently confirmed to Defense News that the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) had selected the company\u2019s Phoenix AEW&C platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A contract is expected to be signed around November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis project is expected to enhance the Republic of Korea Armed Forces\u2019 ability to maintain continuous and comprehensive air surveillance and control capabilities in response to growing aerial threats,\u201d the L3Harris spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A budget of KRW3.1 trillion ($2.2 billion) has been allocated, and the project for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) should be completed by 2032.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
L3Harris Technologies declined to share details about its Phoenix AEW platform, but a representative told Defense News last year that an initial two aircraft would be modified in Texas before having radars integrated in Israel. The radar in question is Elta\u2019s ELW-2085. Offering 360\u00b0 coverage, the ELW-2085 has previously been integrated onto Israeli and Italian Gulfstream G550 AEW aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Korean Air would then lead work on the two remaining aircraft in-country and also perform sustainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company spokesperson said in 2024: \u201cThrough L3Harris\u2019 agreements with Korean Air, LIG Nex1 and Ace Antenna, and ongoing discussions with additional Korean partners, the team intends that the aircraft and mission system equipment will be fully supported in Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Phoenix beat two other competitors: Boeing\u2019s E-7A and Saab\u2019s GlobalEye. The ROKAF already operates four E-737 Peace Eye AEW aircraft delivered in 2011-12, but it elected not to buy the similar E-7A that the U.S. Air Force itself has snubbed in recent times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Notably, Saab\u2019s offer was predicated on the same Global 6500 airframe, but using the Swedish company\u2019s Erieye-ER radar. Saab\u2019s local partner was Korea Aerospace Industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, L3Harris scored better in terms of operational suitability, operating costs and cooperation with local defense companies, according to DAPA. The company claims it can achieve operational availability rates exceeding 95%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Saab\u2019s offer scored better in terms of contract conditions and acquisition costs, DAPA said L3Harris\u2019 aggregate score was the highest overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A contract for the program, which has a budget of $2.2 billion, is expected to be signed around November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":120144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":45,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[7,45,160,11,36],"tags":[8596,8595],"coauthors":[3492],"class_list":["post-71515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-asia-pacific","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-newsletters","tag-north-korea","tag-south-korea"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DEKARXPKVRF3BLHRZLO2KBZKE4","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/asia-pacific\/2025\/10\/06\/s-korea-picks-l3harris-tech-package-for-new-early-warning-aircraft\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n