BAE Confirms South Korea F-16 Upgrade Deal

Confirming press reports, BAE Systems has said that South Korea has selected the company to perform an upgrade to the avionics and electronics systems for its fleet of 130 KF-16 Block 52 fighters.

The upgrade will cover systems engineering and integration, software and electronics engineering, obsolescence management, and logistics support.

VIDEO: RoKAF Black Eagles at RIAT 2012

A Youtube video by Tonkatsu298 of the Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles Aerobatics team being put through their paces at this year's Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at Fairford, United Kingdom. The Black Eagles have been on a tour of the UK over the past weeks, attending the Waddington and Farnborough Air Shows with their KAI T-50 trainers in addition to RIAT.

The Black Eagles Facebook page also includes photos of their 2012 UK tour, including some air-to-air photography over the English countryside.

South Korea to begin evaluation of F-X III contenders

Defense Update has a pretty in depth article on the latest developments in South Korea's F-X III fighter acquisition program.

The country's primary defense acquisition agency, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), announced that evaluations would begin next week to select the winning bid from the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle, the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the Eurofighter Typhoon.

South Korea retires F-4D Phantoms

RoKAF F-4D Phantom II. And it's drag chute.

Missed this bit of news till now. After 41 years of service with the Republic of Korea Air Force, the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II has been retired from RoKAF service in a decommissioning ceremony held at the 11th Fighter Wing's base at Daegu, South Korea.

The RoKAF still operates the later F-4E variant along with a handful of RF-4C photo-reconnaissance Phantoms.

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Silent Eagle, JSF and Typhoon bidding for S Korean KF-X III contract

South Korea has said that Lockheed Martin, Boeing and the Eurofighter consortium have submitted bids for South Korea's KF-X III fighter contest with the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, F-15SE Silent Eagle and Typhoon respectively.

South Korea plans to make a decision on the 60-fighter order in October.

ROKAF scrambles against KPAF jets approaching DMZ; wants WCMDs

South Korean military sources have said that the North's Korean People's Air Force (KPAF) has sharply increased flying activity to up to 50 sorties a day since mid-May, including flying close to South Korea. According to Yonhap news agency, one North Korean fighter jet approached the tactical action line (TAC) on Tuesday, prompting four South Korean jets to scramble in response. The TAC is an imaginary line that the South established about 20-50 kilometers north of its airspace as a heads up for possible provocations.

Meanwhile, the United States' Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a possible sale to South Korea for 367 CBU-105D/B Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD) Sensor Fuzed Weapons and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training for an estimated cost of US$325 million.

South Korea shortlists attack helicopter contenders

The Boeing AH-64D Apache, Bell AH-1Z Viper and AgustaWestland T-129 are the contenders shortlisted by South Korea for its upcoming attack helicopter competition. South Korea is expected to name the winner in October together with the winner of it's next generation fighter competition, in deals worth up to US$8 billion.

South Korea receives final two F-15Ks

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) has taken delivery of its final two Boeing F-15K fighter aircraft on the 2nd of April at Taegu air base. South Korea has ordered a total of 61 F-15K SLAM Eagles in two batches, with one aircraft having been lost in a crash.

North Korean military jets to make goodwill visits to the South

This just in from sources. South Korea's Defence Ministry has made a shock announcement that North Korean military jets will make a historic goodwill visit to the South later this year.

In a hastily-convened press briefing in Seoul, ministry spokesman Colonel Han Ne-Wol said the visit is the result of a "historic breakthrough" following secret talks with the North's leadership. It is not know when or where the visit will take place, nor of the type of aircraft the Korean People's Air Force will send for the visit. He added that the Republic of Korea Air Force will reciprocate with a similar visit to an airfield in the North.

Recent increased tension on the Peninsula due to the North's recent missile tests making the news all the more surprising. More to follow.

PHOTOS: USAF, RoKAF F-16s conduct 60-ship "Elephant Walk"

Some pretty awe-inspiring photos coming out of a 60-ship "Elephant Walk" conducted by the USAF's Korea-based and Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) F-16s at Kunsan Airbase, Republic of Korea.

The F-16s were from F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 35th and 80th Fighter Squadrons of the 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea; the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron of the 388th FW at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; the 55th EFS from the 20th FW at Shaw AFB, S.C.; and from the 38th Fighter Group of the ROK Air Force.

Click on thumbnails to view higher-res image. All photos © USAF via http://bemil.chosun.com








More photos can be found here.

Seoul issues RFP for F-X III fighter competition

South Korea has issued a request for proposals for its F-X III fighter requirement, paving the way for the acquisition of around 60 fighters, with submission guidelines being issued at a meeting in Seoul on Monday.

Contenders for the requirement are the Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Boeing: F-15SE development continuing (despite reports otherwise)

Boeing has said that the development of the F-15SE Silent Eagle is continuing, with a new series of ground, windtunnel and flight tests on several key features of the F-15SE due to being in March or April. Flight testing is also planned to begin late in the fourth quarter of 2012 or early next year.

This comes as reports in the South Korean press suggest that the American aircraft manufacturer may pull the F-15SE out of South Korea's F-X III fighter competition due to an inability to complete development work on the semi-stealthy F-15 variant in time to meet the country's 2016 entry into service date requirement.

VIDEO: [HD] F-15SE Silent Eagle South Korean marketing video

A new, HD version of a Boeing video marketing the F-15 Silent Eagle for South Korea that was shown here a while back has surfaced on Youtube. Take note of the huge one-piece MFD that dominates the cockpit that appears at 0:32 seconds of the video. Enjoy it, in its full 1080p HD glory.

Boeing Delivers 2nd Peace Eye AEW&C Aircraft to RoKAF

Photo: Boeing

Boeing has announced that the second Peace Eye 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft has been delivered to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). Carrying the civil registration N341FS, the aircraft was delivered to ROKAF Base Gimhae, the main operating base for the Peace Eye fleet. Two additional Peace Eye aircraft are being modified by Korean Aerospace Industries in Sacheon and will be delivered to the ROKAF in 2012.

Republic of Korea AF Hawk crashes, both crew killed

A Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) BAe Hawk trainer jet has crashed during an exercise, killing both pilots aboard. According to the RoKAF, the trainer crashed this afternoon at 2.27pm local time near the aircraft's base at Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, about 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Both pilots, 34-year-old Major Park Jeong-soo and 33-year-old Major Kwon Seong-ho, were unfortunately killed in the crash. No casualties were suffered on the ground, although 3 greenhouses were damaged by fire. The aircraft had reportedly crashed soon after taking off for an emergency landing practice exercise.

The RoKAF took delivery of 20 Bae Hawk 67 trainers (known locally as T-59s) in 1992, and the remaining 15 (after today's crash) serve with the RoKAF's 216th Flight Training Squadron/16th Fighter Wing at Yecheon. South Korea reportedly wants to retire their Hawk fleet by 2013, possibly replacing them with locally-built KAI KT-1 basic trainers. Indonesia has been reported as being a possible buyer of the Korean Hawks.

South Korea suspected of tampering with TigerEye IRST

South Korean newspaper the Chosun Ilbo has reported that an un-named official with the Asian nation's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has told the newspaper that the United States has investigated suspicions that South Korea had illegally disassembled the TigerEye Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) systems supplied to the Republic of Korea Air Force's F-15K SLAM Eagle fighters. However, the DAPA official has also reported said that the Americans tentatively concluded that the RoKAF had not illegally mishandled the IRSTs.

Meanwhile, Greg Waldron (@asiajetwatch) over at Flightglobal gives his take on the whole affair, as well as his insights on the development of South Korea's K-FX fighter program, which would have been the intended beneficiary if the TigerEyes were indeed tampered with.

RoKAF conducts air-to-air refueling exercises with USAF

RoKAF F-15K Slam Eagles refuel from a USAF KC-135R (ROKAF Photo)

South Korean newspapers Chosun Ilbo and The Korea Herald have both ran stories in their respective English editions about the Republic of Korea Air Force participating in aerial refueling exercises with the USAF for the first time in South Korean airspace over the West Sea.

Starting Friday the 16th of September, a KC-135R Stratotanker of the 909th Air Refueling Squadron, 18th Wing normally based out of Kadena AFB, Okinawa, will conduct refueling exercises with the RoKAF's F-15Ks and KF-16C/Ds. 16 RoKAF pilots (8 from each type) will participate in the exercise, which are expected to run till September 30th. The 16 pilots are expected to qualify for aerial refueling after this exercise, which will require four successful refueling attempts; two by day and a further two at night.

The RoKAF, which currently does not possess tanker aircraft, hopes to conduct similar exercises with the USAF every six months to allow it's refueling-qualified aircrew to stay current, while at the same time, setting a target of qualifying 16 pilots for aerial refueling every year.

Efforts by the RoKAF to acquire it's own tankers have stalled, mainly over budgetary concerns.

Russian Bears circle off Japan, South Korean and Japanese intercept

Japan has said that a pair of Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS 'Bear' bombers have conducted an overflight of the seas off Japan, heading through the Straits of Tsushima before turning around and flying back to their base via the Pacific Ocean east of Japan. (NOTE: The Bears were likely to be from the 79th or 182nd GBAD/Heavy Bomber Air Regiment based at Ukrainka-Seryshevo in Russia's Far East)

Russian defence authorities have confirmed that the aircraft conducted a mission lasting 19 hours over the Pacific. It added that the Tupolevs were escorted by Japan Air Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Air Force fighters at various times, and that there were no violations of Japan's airspace.

Russia and Japan are embroiled in a dispute over the ownership of the Kurile Islands, north of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Boeing Delivers 3 More F-15K Slam Eagles to the Republic of Korea

F-15K at a 2008 Red Flag (USAF Photo/Chief MSgt. Gary Emery)

Boeing has announced that it has delivered three more F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) at Daegu Air Base on the 20th of August.

The aircraft left the Boeing St. Louis facility on Aug. 16 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, before arriving in Korea.

This brings F-15K deliveries to the RoKAF to 53 aircraft out of a total of 61 ordered. Forty aircraft were ordered in 2002 with deliveries starting from 2005, with another 21 aircraft ordered in 2008 which are currently being delivered to the RoKAF starting in 2010. One aircraft from the first batch had been lost in 2006. The RoKAF's F-15Ks are currently serving with the 11th Fighter Wing's 102nd, 122nd and 151st (or 110th - conflicting information) Fighter Squadron at Daegu.

More on the F-15K (Wikipedia)

Asia's F-16 operators eye AESA radar upgrades

Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16C Block 52

Aviationweek has reported that three Asian F-16 operators, namely the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are keen on upgrading their respective F-16 fleets with the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. This follows the United States Air Force, already facing delays with the controversial Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program, recently requesting information on F-16 AESA upgrades for 300-600 of the USAF's current F-16 fleet. The AESA radars in contention for all the potential upgrades are likely to be between Northrop Grumman’s Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) and the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar (RACR).

The Republic of Korea Air Force currently operates 169 F-16C/D Block 32/52s, with the Republic of Singapore Air Force operating 60 F-16C/D Block 52/52+ and the Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force having 145 F-16A/B Block 20s in its inventory.