The US State Department has recently approved a foreign military sale of four E-7 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft to South Korea for an estimated $4.92 billion. The move will enhance the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF) airspace surveillance and defence capabilities amid the evolving regional threats. The addition of the E-7 fleet will enable South Korea to improve its ability to detect, monitor, and respond to air and missile threats originating from North Korea, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s “Fleet Size Dashboard” reveals that the US has supplied E-7 AEW&C systems to several allies in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, including Australia (six units), besides the UK (three units ordered). The fleet size dashboard also indicates a notable increase in AEW&C category aircraft acquisitions across APAC, with Japan and India also modernizing their air surveillance capabilities, signalling a broader regional focus on air defence.”
Harpreet Sidhu, Aerospace and Defense Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The E-7 aircraft, known for its advanced radar and surveillance capabilities, will provide South Korea with comprehensive situational awareness and bolster its capacity for monitoring contested airspace. This will also enhance ROKAF’s interoperability with the US and other APAC allies, especially as North Korean missile threats continue to increase.”
The procurement of the E-7 aircraft underscores South Korea’s commitment to sustaining a robust and technologically advanced air fleet to counter emerging challenges. GlobalData’s dashboard reveals that while 65% of South Korea’s fixed-wing aircraft fleet is relatively modern, with an average age below 20 years, the addition of the E-7 aircraft will further bring down the average age of this fleet.
Sidhu concludes: “With the addition of the E-7 AEW&C aircraft, South Korea is set to build a powerful network for air surveillance and control, giving it the ability to detect and track threats across vast distances and altitudes. This is essential for detecting potential aerial aggression from North Korea. The deployment of E-7’s advanced radar system means that South Korea will not have to rely as heavily on ground-based radar, adding greater flexibility and resilience to its overall defence strategy by overcoming complex terrain-related challenges associated with land radars.”
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