South Korea will develop a short-range air-to-air missile for the Korea Aerospace Industries KF-21 fighter, as it also increases funding for its Boeing F-15K upgrade programme.
During a 16 December meeting, Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Committee cleared KRW662 billion ($461 million) for its Short-Range Air-to-Air Guided Missile II development programme, says the agency.
The programme will see a short-range missile developed in 2025-35 timeframe.
In addition to arming the KF-21 in Republic of Korea Air Force service, it will form part of the KF-21’s export offering.
The developmental KF-21 is expected to enter service in late 2026. So far, the fighter has conducted test shots with the Diehl IRIS-T infrared-homing air-to-air missile, as well as other weapons.
The committee also approved KRW4.56 billion for the nation’s programme to upgrade 59 F-15Ks. This represents a 31% increase over the previous funding of W3.46 trillion allocated to the programme.
The new funding level is worth $3.2 billion at current exchange rates. In November, the US government cleared a possible upgrade package for South Korea’s fleet valued at $6.2 billion.
The potential package included 70 Raytheon AN/APG-82 (v)1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, 96 Advanced Display Core Processor II mission system computers, and 70 BAE Systems AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability Systems. Also included was a range of other equipment, spares, and services.
Negotiations and budget considerations, however, are likely to see the value of the eventual sale differ from the US government’s original number.
