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South Korea is expected to submit shortly a second request to the US Air Force F-16 System Programme Office (SPO) for the release of integration data for the Matra BAe ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile, after having earlier been refused the information.

A South Korean request made in 1997 to the SPO for Lockheed Martin F-16/ASRAAM integration software was met with a "turn down letter" according to informed defence sources in Seoul and Washington. The US Air Force International Affairs office says it is not aware of any formal South Korean request being made.

The South Korean air force wants to evaluate the ASRAAM against the Rafael Python 4 AAM, which is already integrated on the F-16. Ironically, Israeli officials have also indicated they would like to see the ASRAAM data released, because without a competition, the South Korean purchase will be unable to proceed.

The South Korean appeal is viewed by many within Matra BAe as a critical test of the USAF's willingness to share ASRAAM integration data, and sets an important precedent for other future requests. At stake for the European manufacturer is the potentially huge export market for future air-to-air sales to other F-16 operators wanting to replace the earlier generation Raytheon AIM-9L and not prepared to wait for release of the future AIM-9X

ASRAAM has been ordered by Australia for its Boeing F/A-18A/B fighters, but has not not yet been selected by an F-16 operator. Aside from South Korea, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also understood to have expressed interest in the ASRAAM to arm its recently ordered fleet of Block 60 F-16C/Ds.

The USAF has already completed a partial integration of ASRAAM with the earlier F-16A/B including full telemetry round firings.

This was undertaken under a US-UK government-to-government agreement and further work would be needed to fully integrate the missile operationally with the more advanced F-16C/D.

Source: Flight International