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South Korea's military is drawing up plans for a 'surgical strike' to take out Kim Jong-un's missile and nuclear facilities if orders are given to remove the dictator. Taurus cruise missiles fired from F-15 fighters would be used to destroy the facilities if President Moon Jae-in gives the go ahead in an emergency, it is claimed. The contingency measure would be initiated by the President's Special Forces, according to reports by Seoul newspaper Munwha Ilbo. It comes just days after North Korea carried out another test launch of its Hwasong-14 missile and amid heightened tensions between North Korean tyrant Kim...

South Korea has formally decided to receive some technology support from Israel for the development of an advanced radar system in its KF-X fighter jet program, Seoul's arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The state-run Agency for Defense Development signed a contract with an Israeli defense firm on testing an active electronically scanned array radar being developed by a South Korean company, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. "It's about technology support related to the operation test of a prototype radar, not the development itself," the DAPA said. A model picture of a KF-X fighter jet in a file photo...

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has already developed a plan to annihilate the North Korean capital of Pyongyang through intensive bombing in case the North shows any signs of a nuclear attack, a military source in Seoul said Sunday. "Every Pyongyang district, particularly where the North Korean leadership is possibly hidden, will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosive shells as soon as the North shows any signs of using a nuclear weapon. In other words, the North's capital city will be reduced to ashes and removed from the map," the source said. South Korea's Hyunmoo II...

SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to deploy dozens of "jamming proof" air-to-ground guided missiles that can be carried on its F-15K fighters in a bid to bolster its strike capabilities amid mounting military threats from North Korea, military officials said Tuesday. Dozens of Taurus missiles will be brought in from Germany by the end of this year as the U.S. government has recently approved the exports of critical military GPS receivers which can be attached to war planes, according to the military. The receivers are vital because they are not affected by North Korean GPS jamming. The...

SEOUL— General Electric Co. has clinched a deal to supply engines for South Korea’s next-generation fighter jets. The U.S. conglomerate beat Eurojet Turbo GmbH, a European engine maker, to provide the F414-GE-400 engines, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Thursday. A final contract will be signed next month, it said. The agency didn’t disclose the deal value, but a person familiar with the matter estimated it at $3.5 billion. The deal is part of one of South Korea’s most ambitious weapons-development programs. The project, Korean Fighter Experimental, or KF-X, is part of Seoul’s plans to replace its decades-old fleet...

As tensions with North Korea rise following Pyongyang’s alleged hydrogen bomb test, there is the specter of a renewed war on the peninsula. In the years following the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953 — which ended the conflict in a ceasefire without formally terminating hostilities — the U.S. military was the guarantor of the Republic of Korea’s security. More than 60 years later, United States Forces Korea — led by U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti — maintains a force of over 28,500 troops in South Korea to defend Seoul from Pyongyang’s depredations. But by-and-large, South Korea is defended by its...

SEONGNAM, Gyeonggi - Despite the recent controversy about Washington’s refusal to transfer technologies essential to building advanced fighter jets, Korea has already managed to develop some of the required systems, the JoongAng Ilbo learned Thursday. Washington informed Seoul in April that it would not issue licenses for the transfer of four technologies considered crucial for Korea’s project to develop new multirole fighters with more advanced capabilities. Under the KF-X program, the government planned to invest a total of 18.4 trillion won ($16.2 billion) to develop 120 jets by 2025. The U.S. rejection of the technology transfer was considered a major...

Starting from next year, the South Korean Air Force will boost the ability of its KF-16 fighter jets to hit long-range targets. The Air Force revealed the plan on Tuesday in a report submitted to the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee for parliamentary inspection. To hit long-range targets, the Air Force will introduce Israeli-made bomb guidance kits known as "SPICE," an acronym for smart, precise impact and cost-effective. When dropped from a high altitude by KF-16s, the SPICE-2000 guided bombs can travel more than 50 kilometers and hit targets, including on the other side of a mountain. The Air Force...

The U.S. has refused to transfer core technologies connected to the next-generation F-35 fighter jets to Korea, throwing plans to acquire 40 of them for the Air Force into disarray. Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, had agreed in negotiations in September last year to transfer the technologies to Korea. But U.S. government intervention means the entire project worth W20 trillion is up in the air (US$1=W1,177). According to data New Politics Alliance for Democracy lawmaker Ahn Gyu-baek obtained from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the military signed the contract with Lockheed Martin last September to buy 40 F-35As for W7.34 trillion....

PARIS --- Airbus Helicopters has signed a contract with Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) to develop and manufacture 314 light helicopters in South Korea, a company official confirmed March 16. The contract was signed by the two companies’ chief executives in Seoul, Korea, earlier today. The contract, worth an estimated $3 billion, calls for joint development of 214 Light Attack Helicopters (LAH) and about 100 Light Civil Helicopters (LCH), based on the technology of the latest version of the Airbus AS365B1 Dauphin twin-engined medium helicopter, now re-designated H155. The two companies will share revenues from the contract on an even basis....

The U.S. government on Wednesday said it had canceled, at the request of South Korea, a preliminary contract with the U.S. unit of Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L) to upgrade 134 F-16 fighter jets, ending a major arms deal initially valued at $1.7 billion. The unusual move, announced by the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, paves the way for South Korea to pursue a similar upgrade deal with Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the warplanes' original manufacturer. The decision raises questions about the ability of non-original equipment makers like BAE to compete in the market to upgrade thousands of F-16s in use...

Only about half of the Air Force's next-generation F-35A fighter jet, which cost a hefty W121 billion, will be fully armed due to lack of combat weapons (US$1=W1,062). Seoul decided to buy 40 F-35As at a total cost of W7.34 trillion last month and claimed that would allow the Air Force to "overwhelm" North Korea. But it has bought only half the weapons needed for the F-35As in a war, according to Air Force data submitted to Saenuri Party lawmaker Song Young-keun Wednesday. The Air Force has secured a mere 45 percent of air-to-air missiles that would be used against...

The Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team plans to take part in an air show next month in China's Guangdong Province, but the U.S. is trying to block the move citing the risk of exposing classified technology. The Black Eagles use T-50 trainer jets developed by Korea Aerospace Industries with technological support from Lockheed Martin. Korea needs U.S. approval in order to export the T-50 trainers and to fly the aircraft into “hostile” territories. A government source on Wednesday said the Black Eagles "have been preparing for some time to take part in the Zuhai Air Show next month, but...

General Electric Korea on Thursday expressed its willingness to join the South Korean government’s plan to develop a double-engine platform for its next generation of fighter jets. The U.S.-based conglomerate said it could do more good when collaborating with Korean companies in the KFX project, while promoting its rich history and competitiveness in the global aerospace industry. “GE has played a significant role in the development of Korea’s aerospace defense industry by providing jet engines, avionics and integrated systems,” said Khang Sung-wook, president and CEO of GE Korea, at a press conference in Seoul. “Through the KFX program, GE seeks...

Philippine President Benigno Aquino has approved a payment plan to acquire 12 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 light combat aircraft, a local media outlet said, Friday. The nation’s lone airplane manufacturer also confirmed the report. KAI has teamed up with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to sell the aircraft through a government-to-government program, estimated at $420 million (451 billion won). According to the report by the Star, the Philippines’ defense department is seeking to complete negotiations with KAI within the week. “We have sights on finalizing the contract by the end of March,”...

Korea will purchase four in-flight refueling tankers from 2017, the nation’s arms procurement agency said Wednesday. The decision comes amid the growing importance of improved airborne operations due to China’s self-declared controversial Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the military decision-making committee, chaired by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, decided to import four aerial refueling tankers. It usually takes two to three years before finalizing the delivery of four aircraft. “We intend to give public notice of a bid in January 2014 and select a final bidder within the same year after going through...

Nov 15 (Reuters) - South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff were expected to endorse an "all F-35 buy" of 40 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets and an option for 20 more at a meeting on Nov. 22, two sources familiar with the competition said on Friday. The Joint Chiefs' decision must be approved by a committee chaired by the South Korean defense minister at a meeting in early December, according to the sources, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly. A decision by the Joint Chiefs to purchase only F-35s would be a...

Boeing delivered the final two F-15K Slam Eagles to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) on April 2 at Daegu Air Base. All ROKAF F-15Ks were delivered on cost and on schedule. "Boeing is proud to have worked with the ROKAF to ensure that their F-15Ks included all the capability and power necessary to defend their homeland through 2040 and beyond," said Roger Besancenez, F-15 Program vice president for Boeing. Boeing will continue to support the ROKAF fleet through the long-term, affordable Performance Based Logistics (PBL) sustainment contract the company received from the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program...

The military is mulling ordering the deployment of missile interceptors to shoot down any debris that could fall on South Korean territory in the event that a satellite bearing North Korean rocket strays from its planned trajectory. The Stalinist regime recently announced that it would launch a satellite from a long-range rocket sometime between April 12 and 16 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the April 15 birth of its founder Kim Il-sung. “We are preparing measures to track the missile's trajectory and shoot it down if by any chance it deviates from the planned route and falls into...

Chances are high for the government to pick the F-35 fighter jet as the mainstay of the Air Force later this year, but it is doubtful whether the new aircraft can be delivered to Korea as promised from 2016. Seoul is expected to announce the winner of the bidding for its next-generation fighter acquisition project in October this year in line with its plan to introduce 10 advanced jets in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and the remaining 40 by 2020. “Lockheed Martin officials recently informed us that the F-35 development and testing is progressing faster than anticipated and that they...