 |
| A model of one of several possible designs for KFX |
By Jung Sung-ki
European Radar Makers Eye KF-X Jet
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean defense officials are in a quandary over how to acquire an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a key component for the country’s fighter development program code-named KF-X, following the US refusal to transfer the advanced radar technology.
South Korea had expected to learn the AESA technology for the KF-X jet through offset deals connected to its F-X III contract to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-built F-35As.
South Korea seeks to develop a twin-engine KF-X fighter jet on par with the F-16 and produce 120 units starting in 2025 to replace its F-4 and F-5 fleets. The project is estimated to cost some US $16 billion.
But the US government refused to transfer four of the 25 fighter technologies South Korea wanted, citing the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Those technologies concerned AESA, an electro-optical targeting pod, infrared search-and-Track (IRST) system, and a radio frequency jammer.
During the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX), which ran from Oct. 20 to 25, European radar makers sought to woo South Koreans apparently disappointed by the US.
Read the full story at DefenseNews
PacificSentinel NOTE: I replaced the incorrect "infrared search-and-rescue systems" with the correct "infrared search-and-Track (IRST) system" in the original story text