Armée Sud Coréene/Republic of Korea Armed Forces ( RoKAF )

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Citation :

DATE:25/03/09
SOURCE:Flight International
Elbit Systems lands helmet-mounted display deal with South Korea
By Arie Egozi

Elbit Systems has received a contract to supply advanced helmet-mounted display systems for the South Korean army's Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH) programme.

Under the deal, Elbit will supply prime contractor Korea Aerospace Industries with equipment for its ongoing development effort, which is expected to lead to the manufacture of up to 250 tactical transport helicopters. The Israeli company's initial contract covers those development aircraft due to be delivered in 2009-10, but it believes the agreement could lead to follow-on orders to equip the entire KUH fleet and additional military rotorcraft.

"We believe this selection will lead to further head-up display projects in South Korea and worldwide," says Yoram Shmuely, co-general manager of Elbit's Aerospace Division.

Elbit says its helmet-mounted display systems enable helicopter pilots to fly with their "head out of the cockpit", boosting situational awareness and safety by projecting essential flight data, plus navigation waypoints and threat data into their line of sight.

Citation :

Lockheed to Equip South Korean Destroyer


Lockheed Martin has been awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee letter contract, with performance incentives, to equip the third South Korean destroyer, KDX-III Ship 3, with its Aegis weapon system.
The contract is part of the foreign military sales programme to the Republic of Korea and funds an integrated test team to assist the Korean shipyard in performing installation and testing of the Aegis combat system.
As per the $40.6m contract, Lockheed will provide combat systems engineering and ship integration installation and test support, phase one computer programming as well as equipment to deliver the system.
The Aegis weapon system is capable of simultaneously attacking land targets, submarines and surface ships, while automatically implementing defences against aircraft and missiles.
Work will be performed in Korea, New Jersey, Norway and France, and is expected to be completed by September 2012.

naval-technology

Citation :

South Korea to Install Sensors to Guard Against North Korean Submarines
South Korea's military is planning to install underwater sensors near frontier islands in the Yellow Sea to guard against attacks by North Korea's submarines.
"We plan to install a number of underwater sensors to beef up defence capability in strategically important north-western islands like Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong following the sinking of the Cheonan warship," an unidentified senior military official said.
The sensors will be monitored from a control centre located on Baengnyeong island, the closest one to the border with North Korea, according to Agence France Presse.
The South Korean Defence Ministry declined to disclose any further information.
South Korea has been staging a series of military exercises including a joint naval drill with the US in a move to display its strength against North Korea.

naval-technology

Citation :

ROKAF Selects Elbit Electronic Warfare and Missile Warning Systems



South Korea has awarded Elbit Systems subsidiary Elisra Electronic Systems a contract to supply airborne electronic warfare (EW) suites and missile warning systems (MWS) for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) CN-235 transporters.
The advanced and integrative EW suites include protection systems against various threats.
The EW suites can be applied from air, sea, land, and space by manned and unmanned systems, and can target communication, radar or other services.
EW includes three major subdivisions, consisting of electronic attack (EA), electronic protection (EP) and electronic warfare support (ES).
The value of the contract is estimated at $29m.

airforce-technology

..

Citation :

DATE:14/01/11
SOURCE:Flight International
Elisra to supply South Korean CN-235s with EW suites
By Craig Hoyle

Elisra Electronic Systems has won a $29 million deal to supply the South Korean air force with airborne electronic warfare suites and missile warning systems for its Airbus Military CN-235 transports. The equipment will provide protection against various threats, the Israeli company says.

South Korea has an active fleet of 20 CN-235s, says Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.

Elisra has signed similar deals with South Korea in recent years. In 2009 Seoul awarded it a $25 million contract to supply an integrated electronic warfare suite for its air force fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130H tactical transports.

In the same year the company also received a $7 million contract to provide EW equipment for four prototypes of the Korea Aerospace Industries F/A-50 strike aircraft, including an advanced radar warning receiver and chaff and flare dispensers.

Elbit Systems owns 70% of Elisra and Israel Aerospace Industries 30%.

les systèmes EW israelient sont parmi les plus performants au monde

Citation :

Korean Navy Rescues Hijacked Ship, Kills Somali Pirates

/Yonhap

Korea says its forces have retaken a hijacked ship from Somali pirates and freed the 21-member crew.

Lieutenant General Lee Seong-ho, of the Korean Joint chiefs of Staff, says naval special forces stormed the MV Samho Jewelry early Friday, after trailing the hijacked ship for days. He told reporters the commandos rescued all crew members while killing eight Somali pirates and capturing another five. He says the South Korean captain of the freighter was shot in the abdomen during the rescue but is expected to recover.

Friday's operation took place in the Arabian Sea, about 1,300 kilometers northeast of Somalia. The ship was heading to Sri Lanka from the United Arab Emirates when it was hijacked last Saturday. The vessel's crew includes 11 Burmese nationals, eight Koreans, and two Indonesians.

President Lee Myung-Bank, who authorized the operation, said it shows that Korea will not tolerate attacks on any of its people.

Somalia pirates have made hundreds of millions of dollars hijacking ships in recent years. The European Union's anti-piracy force says the pirates are currently holding at least 30 ships and more than 700 hostages.

chosun.com

The Choi Young was despatched to track down the ship and rescue the crew

Citation :

S. Korea rolls out armed version of T-50 trainer jet



South Korea on Monday rolled out the first armed version of its T-50 supersonic trainer aircraft, designed to carry out entry-level tactical training missions, according to the state military acquisition agency.

The armed variant of the T-50, the nation’s first homegrown trainer jet, is intended to train fledgling military pilots on air-to-air and air-to-surface missions before their full operational deployment, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said.

The TA-50 can mount precision-guided weapons such as AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and TGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles, according to DAPA officials.

The final unit of the TA-50 will be delivered by 2012. DAPA officials refuse to confirm the total number of the TA-50s to be put into operation, citing security reasons.

From 2013, the country will also begin deploying a more heavily armed version of the TA-50. Named the FA-50, the multi-role fighter jet is designed for light attack combat missions, officials said.

Jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s sole aircraft maker, and U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, South Korea unveiled the T-50 “Golden Eagle” in 2005.

In order to strengthen aerial defense capabilities and develop the local aviation industry, the country has spent 2.2 trillion won ($1.96 billion) on the T-50 project over eight years, starting in 1997.

After the first T-50 was delivered in December 2005, the Air Force began training with the T-50 in April 2007. The T-50 has a maximum speed of mach 1.5, with a maximum range of 800 nautical miles.

koreaherald

Citation :

South Korea wants stealth fighters by 2015


(LEAD) S. Korea seeking early purchase of stealth jets: sources
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is moving to introduce the fifth generation of stealth fighter jets at an early date to replace its aging Air Force fighters and to secure capabilities to counter North Korea's increasing provocations, government sources said Sunday.

The move comes after the parliament cut the defense ministry's request for some 15.7 billion won (US$14 million) to launch a new fighter jet procurement program this year, granting only 300 million won.

"There is a growing consensus within the government that the next-generation fighter program must be launched at an early date," a government source said, asking not to be identified.

"There is only a 300 million won fund for research this year, but (the government) may allocate additional funds from its defense budget if necessary," he added.

Sources said Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has ordered the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to "find ways to launch the (new fighter jet) program at an early date."

South Korea purchased 60 F-15K fighter jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing under an earlier program, known as FX II, and is set to have some of the remaining 20 aircraft from the program delivered before the end of next year.

The military earlier sought to launch an FX III program this year to have new fighter jets commissioned in 2016.

The government now seeks to introduce and weaponize new stealth fighters before the target year.

"It usually takes about four years for the first shipment of aircraft after a contract is signed, which means the new aircraft can be commissioned from as early as 2015," an official from the national defense procurement office, DAPA, said.

A military official noted the country has yet to decide what it will require in new fighter jets.

"Whether we will purchase jets with complete or partial stealth capabilities will depend on a future study of costs and efficiency," the official said.

Still, the country could start receiving proposals in June if the national defense acquisition program committee endorses an early launch of the program for next-generation fighter jets, the DAPA official said.

South Korea may then sign a deal as early as in August 2012 following a test of all candidate models.

The recent increase of frequency and intensity of North Korean provocations is apparently adding to the military's urgent sense of a need to introduce stealth fighter jets, after the country once considered introducing fighter jets with only partial stealth capabilities.

"There has been a call for the military's increased capabilities for precision strikes since North Korea's provocations in the northwestern region last year," a government source said. "And this has also led to a growing voice in the government to speed up the next fighter jet program."

North Korea sank a South Korean warship, Cheonan, near a western border in the Yellow Sea last year, killing 46 South Korean sailors. Then in November, the communist nation hit a South Korean island, also near the border, with artillery shells, killing two civilians and two armed service members in the first direct attack on a South Korean territory since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The new fighter jet program is expected to be worth some 10 trillion won ($8.97 billion). Possible candidates for jets include Boeing's F-15SE and Lockheed Martin's F-35, sources said.

bdk@yna.co.kr

Citation :

Saab received an order for weapon locating system from Korea


Defence and security company Saab has received an order for weapon locating system ARTHUR from LIG Nex1 which is the prime contractor towards Defence Acquisition Program Administration, Republic of Korea. The order is worth MSEK 450.

“We are delighted to have received this important additional order from South Korea that further proves our customer’s confidence in the capabilities of our weapon locating system ARTHUR, says Micael Johansson, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab’s business area Electronic Defence Systems.

ARTHUR is a stand-alone, C-band medium-range weapon-locating system that detects and locates enemy fire. It utilises a passive phased-array antenna technology for optimised battlefield performance. The technology provides the perfect balance between mobility, range, accuracy, ECCM (Electronic counter-countermeasures), operational availability and operational cost.

The ARTHUR system is widely used by demanding customers around the world. Examples of customers are Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Spain, Sweden and UK. More than 60 ARTHUR units have been sold and their availability is well proven from thousands of hours’ operation. The first ARTHUR order from South Korea came in 2007.

The system is developed by Saab in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main part of the production for this program will be done at LIG Nex1 under a localisation agreement between Saab and LIG.

defenseworld

Citation :

RoKAF to Receive 22 T/A-50 Trainer Aircraft by 2012



The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) has ordered 22 T/A-50 fighter trainer aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
RoKAF will use the aircraft to supplement the T-50 Golden Eagle advanced jet trainer (AJT).
The T/A-50 will be used as a "tactical training aircraft for air-to-air and air-to-ground strike missions for pilots prior to their final qualification," a KAI spokesman said, quoted by Jane's.
Deliveries are expected to start next month and will be completed by 2012.
The T/A-50 is the same baseline version as the T-50, with added fire-control radar, weapon delivery software, wingtip missile launch rails and an internal 20mm gun.

airforce-technology

Citation :

South Korea To Deploy Guided Imaging Rockets On Border Islands



SEOUL - South Korea plans to eventually deploy precision-guided rockets jointly developed with the United States on islands near the disputed western sea border with North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Feb. 4
The deployment of the Low-Cost Guided Imaging Rocket (LOGIR) is aimed at thwarting a possible infiltration by North Korean combat hovercraft in the western waters of the Korean Peninsula, a JCS spokesman said.Related Topics



"Recent intelligence indicates that North Korea has forward-deployed its high-speed hovercraft to a naval base near the Northern Limit Line (NLL)," the spokesman said. "If that's true, there is a limit for us to responding to it only with coastal artillery guns. So we're considering the deployment of the 70mm guided rocket to the border islands."
Previously, the local Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have detected construction work being done for a base in the Koampo area in Hwanghae province, just 50 to 60 kilometers from South Korea's Baengnyeong Island, one of the five islands near the NLL. The base is presumed to be able to accommodate up to 70 hovercraft, and each of the air-cushion vehicles can carry a platoon and travel up to 90 kilometers per hour across water and mud flats, according to the report.

defensenews

Citation :

KF-16 Fighter Jets Fitted with Precision-Guided Missiles


South Korea's KF-16 fighter jets will be equipped with state-of-the-art GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition precision-guided missiles. The JDAMs are fitted with GPS-aided inertial navigation system (INS) and wing kits to boost their accuracy and are capable of precision attacks at night and during harsh weather conditions. A South Korean KF-16 fighter jet test-fires a GBU-31 JDAM precision-guided missile. /Courtesy of the Air Force

At present, only 40 F-15K fighter jets are fitted with the missiles, but now all about 130 KF-16s will have them, making them more capable of countering North Korea's 170 mm howitzers and 240 mm multiple launch rocket systems that have been deployed on the border.

The Air Force said it developed software that connects the KF-16s with JDAM missiles and successfully carried out three tests. Pilot training was completed at the end of January. The GBU-31 JDAM missiles cost less than laser-guided missiles or other precision-guided munitions and can hit a target 9.6 m in diameter 27 km away in about 50 percent of cases.

english.chosun.com

Citation :

GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition precision-guided missiles

le B dans GBU c'est quoi ?

brk195 a écrit:

Citation :

GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition precision-guided missiles

le B dans GBU c'est quoi ?

Guided Bomb Unit,

that's the joke Akka

Citation :

S. Korean Firm Wins Contract To Supply F-15 Displays





SEOUL - LIG Nex1, a leading precision electronics maker in South Korea, signed a contract Feb. 9 with U.S. defense company Rockwell Collins to deliver 20 more heads-up display (HUD) systems for F-15 fighter jets, the company announced.
The contract was signed by LIG Nex1 President and CEO Lee Hyo-koo and Kevin Lynch, vice president of Rockwell Collins Head-Up Guidance Systems, in Portland, Ore., a LIG Nex1 spokesman said.Related Topics

LIG Nex1 has been manufacturing HUDs since 2004. The latest deal brings total orders to 150, worth more than 50 billion won ($45 million), the company said in a news release.
The company won a subcontract with Rockwell Collins to develop the HUD system as part of an offset deal with Boeing, which won the first two parts of South Korea's F-X fighter acquisition program. Boeing will deliver 60 F-15K fighters.
Under the F-X program, South Korea aims to purchase 120 advanced combat aircraft by 2020 to replace an aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters.
"It's meaningful that our defense technology has been recognized by the United States, which is apparently leading the world's aerospace business," the release said.
Currently, six nations operate the F-15. They are the United States, Israel, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
The HUD presents data without requiring the pilot to look away from his or her usual viewpoint, improving situational awareness. It sits above the instrument glare shield and allows the pilot to look forward onto a transparent screen called the optical combiner.
Besides the HUD, LIG Nex1 is moving ahead with manufacturing the new plane's Multi Function Display and Flight Control Computer, according to the release.

defensenews

Les Spike en question serai des Spike NLOS

Citation :

Seoul to deploy Israeli guided missiles on Yeonpyeong in Feb

Attack copters to be stationed on the island


By Jung Sung-ki

South Korea’s military plans to deploy Israeli-built precision-guided anti-tank missiles to Yeonpyeong Island next month near the western sea border with North Korea, a government source said Tuesday.

The deployment of the GPS-guided “Spike” missile is part of efforts to help achieve an early fortification of Yeonpyeong and four other islands near the border ― Northern Limit Line (NLL) ― vulnerable to North Korean provocations, the source told The Korea Times.

In its year-end report to President Lee Myung-bak last month, the Ministry of National Defense unveiled a plan to beef up the security of the five islands near the border including deployment of the missiles. The ministry said that it would create a West Sea defense command, comprising 12,000 troops from the three services, to that end.

On top of that, the military has also decided to permanently deploy at least four AH-1S Cobra helicopters to Yeonpyeong in a bid to thwart North Korea’s possible maritime infiltration of the border islands.

“The Cobra helicopters will be shipped to the island soon and stationed there to deter a North Korean infiltration,” said the source.

On Nov. 23, the North fired about 170 shells from its coastal artillery guns and multiple rocket launchers onto Yeonpyeong, killing four South Koreans. The South failed to strike the enemy artillery guns precisely because most of the North’s weapons are hidden in mountain tunnels or caves.

The Spike missile, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advance Defense System, is said to be capable of neutralizing such enemy strongholds, as the missile is equipped with a high-explosive warhead and automatic self-guidance systems led by an imaging infrared seeker.

Last month, Seoul’s National Assembly endorsed nearly 90 billion won to buy Spike systems. The Assembly also approved budget plans to acquire advanced weapons systems, such as artillery-detecting radar, bunker-busting bombs and precision air-to-ground missiles, to be used in defending the border islands.

“Scores of Spike units will be procured from the Israeli military under a government-to-government negotiation in an effort to speed up the deployment of high-tech weapons systems on Yeonpyeong,” said the source.

Originally, the Seoul government sought to purchase the missile system from the manufacturer. But the manufacturer said it didn’t have enough in its inventory, so it would take at least a year to deliver new products to South Korea, according to the source.

The Korea times

Citation :

S. Korea to Get 1st Early Warning Aircraft in July


Boeing will deliver the first of four planned 737 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft to South Korea in July, procurement officials here said Feb. 28.
"The first 737 AEW&C is now in development test and evaluation after its flight tests were completed successfully last June," an official at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said. "Type test and evaluation is scheduled to begin in
March before a Korean operational utility demonstration slated for May."
The first aircraft is now at a Boeing facility in Seattle, while the remainder is at a facility of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, about 430 kilometers southeast of Seoul, for system integration and modification works, the official said.
South Korea signed a $1.6 billion contract in November 2006 to introduce four 737 AEW&C "Peace Eye" aircraft by 2012. The modification work by KAI is part of offset deals from the AEW&C contract.
The Peace Eye systems include an increased-gross-weight version of the new 737-700 passenger aircraft; Northrop Grumman's Multi-mode Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar and identification friend or foe (IFF) system; electronic support and communications measures; electronic warning and self-protection system; and ground systems and product support.ISR Independence

The 737 AEW&C aircraft is a core part in South Korea's pursuit of achieving independent intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capability to prepare for the transition of wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea in 2015, as the nation heavily relies on U.S. reconnaissance aircraft based in Okinawa, Japan.
The South Korean Air Force considers creating a tactical reconnaissance wing led by the 737 AEW&C aircraft. The wing will have unmanned aerial vehicles, RF-4C surveillance planes, Hawker 800 aircraft and others, according to Air Force officials.
In case of an emergency, the Peace Eye aircraft will orchestrate air assets flown by ROK airmen by detecting and identifying airborne objects, determining their coordinates and flight path data, and transferring the information to commanders.
The planes will offer all-weather surveillance, command-and-control, and communications platform to guide fighter-interceptors and tactical air force aircraft to combat areas to attack ground targets at low altitudes, with on-board battle management crew conducting planning, direction, coordination, and control of forces and operations.
The 737 AEW&C has six common console stations for the mission crew and boasts of its commonality with commercial airline fleets for flexibility and support. The aircraft can fly at a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet and top speed of 340 knots.

defensenews

Citation :

Boeing’s F-15SE, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 most likely candidates for FX-III project

South Korea is accelerating moves to purchase a high-end fleet of stealth fighter jets to counter North Korea’s asymmetrical threats and keep pace with neighboring countries seeking to secure their own radar-evading combat aircraft.
Under the FX-III acquisition project worth around 10 trillion won ($8.86 billion), the Seoul government is seeking to purchase some 60 next-generation fighters with an aim to have them delivered for operational deployment to begin in 2016.
The government is expected to draw up an acquisition strategy in the first half of this year, start receiving proposals from bidders early next year and determine which jet it will buy as early as August that year, according to Seoul officials.
As the Defense Ministry failed to secure 15.7 billion won, which it wanted to include in this year’s budget to get the acquisition work started, in the face of opposition from the National Assembly and budget authorities, it was expected that the military would not be able to start deploying new warplanes in 2016.
However, the Seoul government has recently begun moving faster to secure stealth fighters as calls have persisted for the military to acquire the strategic precision-guided weaponry that can handle asymmetrical threats from the North.
Along with Japan’s ongoing efforts to develop its own Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X Shinshin stealth fighter, China’s successful test flight on its first stealth jet, the J-20, in January also appears to have prompted Seoul to accelerate its acquisition efforts.
Seoul also believes that the FX-III project should be fast-tracked due to projections that the Air Force may suffer a shortage of fighter jets after the mid-2010s when its aging fighters are due to be decommissioned.
It estimates the Air Force may lack some 100 fighters in the late-2010s. The Air Force believes it needs at least 430 fighter jets of different levels to prepare for possible wartime operations -- some 100 high-end, 200 middle-end and 100 low-end fighters.
The FX-III competition also appears to be in connection with the KF-X project, designed to develop homegrown battle planes that would replace aging F-4 and F-5 fighters.
Observers here say that the Seoul government is likely to see how much a bidder can contribute to the KF-X project in terms of technology transfer during the acquisition process.
Military officials and experts largely agree that stealth fighters should be introduced early as North Korea’s provocations continue to destabilize the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.
“As the North possesses nuclear arms for strategic purposes, stealth fighter jets will serve as our strategic weapons. Even if we would not use it immediately, the stealth fighter could serve as a strong deterrent against potential enemies,” an Air Force official said, refusing to be named.
“Nothing has yet to be determined on what we plan to require for the new fighter jets we will purchase. We will consider various factors including how to manage the current groups of fighter jets we have and how to replace the aging aircraft.”
Experts also note that the early introduction of high-end fighter aircraft is crucial considering the possibility that the U.S. air support could dwindle after Seoul retrieves wartime operational control from Washington in December 2015.
They also argue that the strategic weaponry is needed when the likelihood of additional provocations by the North remains high as it is seeking to portray itself as a “strong, prosperous state” next year with the second hereditary power succession underway.
Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 are being considered as the two most likely candidate fighters for the FX-III project.

F-15 Silent Eagle



In March 2009, Boeing first unveiled the two-seat, two-engine F-15 Silent Eagle with a maximum speed of mach 2.5, which has been being developed based on what it calls “combat-proven” F-15 Eagle.
in its promotion of the Silent Eagle, Boeing has focused on the fighter jet’s overall survivability, cost-effectiveness and “tactically useful” radar cross section reduction, pointing out that it would still retain the F-15’s long-range, large payload capabilities.
Critics here have doubted stealth capabilities of F-15SE, calling it a “semi-stealth jet” -- compared with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 -- as it is being developed on the basis of the non-stealth concept of the fourth-generation fighter jet.
Boeing refused to reveal the level of the RCS reduction on the F-15SE as it is classified information while stressing that it is ready to provide a reasonable level of the RCS reduction that could meet South Korea’s requirements. RCS is a measure of how detectable an object is with radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.
It, however, remains confident that overall, the F-15SE can offer a good solution for South Korea’s Air Force, citing a series of factors including its interoperability with the existing F-15K fighter jets run by South Korea’s Air Force.
“With a balanced approach to survivability, the F-15SE takes a low risk, cost effective approach to securing the national interest of our customers with advanced AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar, an advanced electronic warfare system, tactfully useful radar cross section reduction,” Brad Jones, director of Boeing’s F-15 Development Programs, told The Korea Herald.
Jones pointed out that one of the most important attributes of the F-15SE is “mission flexibility” which ensures the cost effectiveness of the fighter jet.
“Being able to perform air superiority, air-to-ground, deep penetration, maritime and remote island defense missions with a single platform provides a nation with the most cost effective solution to protect their national security,” he said.
“If you include the fact the F-15SE is more than 85 percent common with the existing F-15K Slam Eagle fleet, Korea will be able to greatly reduce their operational and support cost over the projected 30 year service life. No one else in the world can offer such a cost effective solution with this type of proven, superior operational capability.”
To a question of whether it can meet Korea’s anticipated delivery timeline, Jones said, “Boeing is committed to providing an operational capable F-15 Silent Eagle to the Republic of Korea when they need it for their force structure needs.”
“Boeing continues to perform operational analysis of the regional threats and we feel the F-15 Silent Eagle offers a unique solution to effectively respond to those future threats.”
Boeing officials refused to comment on the projected price of the F-15SE, saying that it can vary widely according to what options Korea wants to have its jet equipped with.
“As we have yet to receive ROC (requirement of capability), it is hard to comment on the price,” an official said.
Boeing explains that for a mission that requires a stealth capability, the F-15SE could carry a 2,700-pound internal payload for 800 nautical miles in an air-to-ground configuration or 720 nautical miles in an air-to-air configuration.
Its conformal weapons bay could accommodate various mixtures of weapons systems -- two Sidewinder missiles and two Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles; or four AMRAAMs; or an air-to-air and air-to-ground mix of two AMRAAMs and two 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs; or eight 250-pound Small Diameter Bombs.
If a mission did not require stealth, the F-15 Silent Eagle could be reconfigured for missions that required more payloads over a longer mission range. Removing the weapons bays would enable F-15SE to have a 29,500-pound payload for missions in the 1,000-nautical mile range in an air-to-ground configuration and 900 nautical miles in an air-to-air configuration.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II



A set of issues over rising costs and delays in the development of the F-35 fighter jet has apparently sapped confidence in the massive multinational program for the new radar-evading fighter that involve nine countries including the U.S.
Struggling to overcome such challenges, Lockheed Martin, which is spearheading the F-35 project, has been highlighting the fighter’s stealth capability that is believed to be better than those of other competitors.
Randy Howard, Lockheed Martin’s director of Korea F-35 Campaign, stressed that the F-35 is the “only true, all-aspect stealthy fifth-generation” fighter available on the international market while categorizing the F-15SE as a forth-generation jet.
“The F-35 redefines multi-role fighter aircraft performance and provides a quantum leap in capability over the fourth generation aircraft including the F-15SE which is based upon a design that dates to 1968,” he told The Korea Herald.
“True stealth must be designed from the ground up. It cannot be retrofitted. The F-35 achieves its Very Low Observable performance through its fundamental design, its external shape, and its state of the art manufacturing processes which control tolerances to less than half the diameter of a human hair.”
The F-35 has been co-developed with eight foreign partners -- Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway -- since 2001. The U.S., along with the eight countries, has invested some $50 billion for the F-35 project.

The single-seat, single-engine F-35 jet with a maximum speed of mach 1.8 has three different variants.

The conventional takeoff and landing F-35A is for air force operations, while the F-35B is the Marine Corps’ short take-off and vertical landing variant and the F-35C is the Navy’s carrier based version.
While the development of the two variants has been properly proceeding, the Marine Corps’ variant is experiencing significant testing problems stemming from software development issues, according to reports.
The U.S. Defense Department anticipated late last year that the Air Force and Navy versions of the fighter would face a development delay of an additional year, while the development of the Marine Corps version would be delayed by up to three years.
Given their budget constraints, the growing price of the F-35 is also burdensome for many countries. It is widely believed that the price of the F-35 per unit may double the original price of about $50 million -- set in 2001.
Criticism has surfaced here that the increase of the per-unit price runs counter to the development purpose of the F-35 -- producing a less costly stealth fighter for overseas customers as the F-22 Raptor, the top U.S. air superiority fighter, is barred by law from export until 2015 to protect its stealth technology.
Jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the F-22 is estimated to cost around $355 million per unit. Due to the high costs, the U.S. manufactured only 187 units.
Other than the price issues, another concern here is whether South Korea can acquire it at a time it needs the fighter since it is not part of the multinational JSF project.
Howard said that the F-35A will be available to South Korea with deliveries beginning in 2016, noting that F-35A’s System Development and Demonstration program, which includes developmental flight tests, is scheduled to complete in early 2016.
Regarding the increasing development costs, Howard said that as production quantities continue to increase, the production price will subsequently decrease.
“Cost increases on the F-35 program to date have been predominantly associated with the development phase of the program. The U.S. government has borne the entire financial responsibility of these developmental cost increases and has not passed them along to participating countries,” he said.
“As production quantities continue to increase, the recurring production price will continue down that cost curve. Lockheed Martin expects the average unit recurring cost of an F-35A to be approximately $65 million in 2010 year economics.”
Howard also claimed that all issues with the development of the F-35 have proven to be “solvable.”
“The fundamental design and the software that drives the F-35 are sound -- there are no technical limitations,” he said.
“The first two lots of production aircraft will begin delivery to the U.S. government this year. The U.K. and the Netherlands will accept their first aircraft to be used to support flight test activities next year. Italy and Australia are scheduled to accept their first production aircraft deliveries in 2014.”
The fighter jets are to replace nearly 3,000 aging jets across the world including F-16 and A-10 aircraft in the U.S. Air Force, F/A-18s in the U.S. Navy and AV-8Bs in the U.S Marine Corps. The U.S. military services are expected to buy 2,457 of the new fighters.
The F-35 is designed to carry an array of precision-guided weapons to take maximum advantage of its stealth capabilities, Lockheed Martin explained.
Internally, the F-35 can carry up to 5,700 pounds of air-to-air and air-to-ground precision guided weapons. When the need for stealth is reduced and external weapons carriage can be safely employed, the F-35 is designed to carry a total of up to 18,500 pounds of precision-guided weapons.
Other than the two fighter jets, EADS’ Eurofighter Typhoon, a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multi-role combat aircraft, is also mentioned as the likely candidate jet for the FX-III contest.

koreaherald.com

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South Korea unveils military reforms after attacks




South Korea unveiled a series of military reforms on Tuesday, including fast-tracking the purchase of fighter jets and spy planes, in response to two deadly attacks on the peninsula last year.
President Lee Myung-bak said reforming the military was not a matter of choice but a must after last year's incidents, according to a presidential spokesman.
Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Seoul would purchase high-altitude spy drones and stealth fighter jets and deploy them earlier than planned to strengthen deterrence against the North. Local media said they were initially scheduled for deployment in 2015.
"The aim is to proactively deter current threats posed by the enemy rather than cope with potential threats in the future," Kim told a news conference in Seoul.
The military will also purchase advanced artillery-detecting radar systems and precision-guided weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) to neutralise the North's artillery pieces hidden in mountain caves, the ministry said.
The North alone has more than 5,000 multiple-launch rockets pointed at the capital Seoul which, with its satellite cities, is home to some 25 million people.
For nearly 60 years, the two Koreas have faced each other across one of the world's most heavily armed borders. They have never signed a peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War.
Last year Seoul asked Washington to sell it U.S.-made RQ-4 Global Hawk spy planes and it expects to receive final approval for the planned purchase from the U.S. Defense Department in June, a military source told Yonhap news agency.
The South's military had originally planned to introduce the unmanned spy drones by 2015 but decided to speed up the deployment of the world's most advanced reconnaissance planes to strengthen its intelligence abilities, according to the source.
At the same time, South Korea will buy 60 stealth fighter jets earlier than scheduled, a senior official at the defence ministry was quoted by Yonhap as saying.
Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing's newly designed F-15 Silent Eagle and the Eurofighter Typhoon made by the European consortium are expected to compete for the order estimated at 10 trillion won.
South Korea has purchased 60 of Boeing's F-15 fighter jets under the first two stages of the fighter modernisation programme, code-named "F-X," since 2002.

CYBER THREAT
As part of the 73-point reform, Kim also announced measures to cope with cyber threats. Seoul says the North was responsible for disrupting GPS signals last week when South Korea and the United States were holding a joint military exercise.

reuters

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S Korean Navy to launch third Aegis destroyer this month




SEOUL (BNS): The South Korean Navy will launch its third Aegis guided missile destroyer this month, the official media reported Thursday.

The new warship, named Yu Seong-ryong, will be the third of the 7,600-ton King Sejong the Great class of destroyers which are equipped with US-made state-of-the-art Aegis air defence systems.

The new ship, being built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries, is scheduled to be commissioned into service in 2012.

The first and second destroyers of the series have already been commissioned into the Navy in 2008 and 2010 respectively.

The new class of warships, also called KDX-III, have been built with air defence, land attack, anti-shipping, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Beside the Aegis Combat System, they are being armed with a wide range of US, European and Korean weapons and missile systems.

The South Korean Navy aims to form strategic mobile squadrons in future which will include all three KDX-III warships, its predecessor the KDX-II Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyers, Dokdo-class landing platform vessels, Type 214 submarines and other support vessels along with anti-submarine Lynx helicopters.

The squadrons will help the country secure its maritime borders and conduct blue-water operations independently as well as jointly with its allies.

brahmand

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South Korea To Buy Global Hawk




The U.S. and South Korea have reached a handshake agreement for the sale of the Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft, according to program sources.
The sale, which could take place as soon as this year, will include four of the high-flying UAVs. Though the Global Hawk is designed to carry a variety of payloads, including imagery sensors, radars and signals intelligence collectors, South Korea has been approved for the Block 30I version, which includes an electro-optical/infrared system.
Seoul eventually would like a signals intelligence capability; but the U.S. is reluctant to sell its Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload, so a payload has not yet been selected for that requirement, a program source says.
First delivery is expected by 2014. Notification of the sale to Congress is expected soon.
Several countries in Asia have been interested in buying the Global Hawk, including Japan, South Korea and Singapore. A version of the Global Hawk is being developed for the German Luftwaffe’s signals intelligence collection demands, and NATO has selected the Block 40 platform to carry its next-generation Air-Ground Surveillance sensor. However, the range and payload capacity of the aircraft — nearly 3,000 lb. — subject it to the restrictions of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The State Department decided to waive the MTCR restrictions for the Global Hawk sale to South Korea after meetings between Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their counterparts from Seoul last year, program sources say. South Korea became an MTCR signatory in 2005.
The U.S. Air Force is now crafting the details of the agreement; price has not been set.
The U.S. Air Force is buying the Global Hawk for imagery collection, signals intelligence and ground surveillance. The Navy is now developing a version for maritime surveillance, and Australia has expressed interest in this version despite its high price.
Two Global Hawks are now employing the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node relay payload out of Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, along with Block 10 aircraft being used for surveillance of the seas and land.
Photo: Northrop Grumman

aviationweek

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South Korea Seen Changing Missile Range Guidelines




South Korea is close to coming to an accord with the United States that would allow the East Asian state to produce ballistic missiles with longer flight ranges, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Sunday (see GSN, Feb. 22).
A decade-old South Korean-U.S. missile technology trade agreement restricts Seoul from manufacturing any ballistic missile with a maximum range of more than 186 miles or building any ballistic missile warhead with an explosive payload in excess of 1,100 pounds.
The two allies are now discussing changing the guidelines to allow missiles with a range of no more than 497 miles -- a distance that would allow the weapons to strike anywhere in North Korea, South Korean government insiders said. Warhead weight limits would not be changed.
South Korean and U.S. officials began discussing revising the missile agreement toward the end of 2010 amid ongoing talks on ways to avert further North Korean hostilities.

The Stalinist state continues to further its own ballistic missile development -- launching a long-range weapon in April 2009 and apparently finishing work earlier this year on a second ballistic missile launch site (see GSN, Feb. 18).
The North's missile forces include an estimated 600 Scud missiles with a strike range of between 186 and 311 miles and approximately 200 Rodong missiles that can strike locations at a maximum distance of 808 miles, according to the newspaper.
Though South Korea might see its ballistic missile range allowance increased to close to 500 miles, that length could be reduced to 311 miles, sources said. An ultimate determination would be based on how Pyongyang responds to the change in Seoul's missile posture

globalsecuritynewswire

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South Korea to Create Marine Aviation Unit



South Korea plans to create an elite marine aviation unit in a move to bolster its forces near the Yellow Sea border with North Korea, a Defence Ministry spokesman has said.
"We have 11 helicopter pilots to aid the marine corps' operations, but now we are trying to make it bigger to create a whole aviation squadron," the spokesman added.
The new unit will feature 40 helicopters and will begin operations in 2017 or 2018, according to Agency France Presse.
The South Korean military is seeking to boost its current 27,000 marines by several thousand as part of a plan to strengthen forces along its sea border with the North.
About 5,000 marines are deployed near the sea border off the west coast and is expected to deploy an additional 1,200 troops later this year.

naval-technology

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South Korean Air Force Receives Additional F-15K Fighter Jets



The South Korean Air Force has received two additional F-15K Slam Eagle fighter jets from Boeing, which are deployed at the South's 11th Fighter Wing in Daegu, Seoul.
The F-15K Slam Eagle is an advanced variant of the combat-proven F-15E Strike Eagle all-weather ground attack strike fighter and has a combat range of 1,800km.
The new fighter jet also features the latest technologies including advanced radars, latest weapons systems and powerful engines.
The two jets are part of the 21 F-15K Slam Eagle fleet ordered in 2008 under the second phase of its fighter jet modernisation project, with deliveries to be completed by 2012.
The additional aircraft brings the total number of the advanced aircraft in the country to 47.

airforce-technology