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| South Korea has selected an L3Harris Global 6500 bizjet-based solution for its new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. As we discussed at the time, Seoul launched its search for a new plane back in 2020, to bolster its current fleet of four Boeing E-737s, South Korean versions of the E-7 Wedgetail that has been selected by the U.S. Air Force and NATO, among other customers. Reports from earlier this year suggested that Boeing had already been eliminated or dropped out of the new South Korean competition, something that the company appeared to deny. |
South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Tuesday that it had chosen the L3Harris proposal, which pairs the Global 6500 airframe with the proven EL/W-2085 radar from Israel's Elta Systems. The deal for four new AEW&C aircraft, expected to enter service by 2032, is valued at 3.0975 trillion won (approximately $2.2 billion).
The L3Harris bid beat out a competing offer from Sweden's Saab, which proposed its Erieye Extended Range (ER) radar, also integrated onto a Global 6500 platform, in a package known as the GlobalEye.
The Rationale Behind the Decision
According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, DAPA selected L3Harris after it received a higher overall score in a comprehensive evaluation process.
"There was no significant difference in the performance evaluation of the target equipment," DAPA stated, according to Yonhap. "L3Harris received high scores in aspects of operational suitability, domestic defense industry contribution, and operation and maintenance costs, while Saab received high scores in aspects of contract terms and procurement costs. The result of synthesizing the scores for each evaluation category showed that L3Harris received a high score."
DAPA further added: “Through this project, we expect to secure the ability to continuously monitor enemy aerial threats in both wartime and peacetime, and to enable the smooth execution of air control missions commanded by the South Korean military.”
The Boeing Enigma
The most surprising aspect of the decision is the apparent sidelining of Boeing. Having supplied the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) with its current fleet of four E-737 aircraft under the "Peace Eye" program, Boeing was seen as a strong contender.
However, the bidding process was fraught with confusion. In July of this year, reports emerged that Boeing had been eliminated from the competition, which the company appeared to deny. Boeing’s bid, based on its E-7 platform, was being offered through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process.
Sources familiar with the acquisition stated that while Boeing submitted its proposal, no bidder met all the requirements in the initial rounds. When DAPA re-issued the Request for Proposal (RFP), the U.S. government did not formally resubmit Boeing’s bid. Instead, the U.S. government and Boeing jointly sent a letter stating that their original proposal and price remained valid. Ultimately, reports from South Korea indicate the final competition was a two-horse race between L3Harris and Saab.
This decision is a particularly stinging loss for Boeing, as its E-7 has recently been selected by the U.S. Air Force and NATO to replace their aging E-3 Sentry AWACS fleets. However, the USAF’s own E-7 program has been plagued by significant delays and cost overruns, factors that may have influenced Seoul's decision.
A Strategic Imperative for South Korea
South Korea first identified the need for an airborne early warning capability in the 1980s, recognizing that the country's mountainous terrain severely limits the effectiveness of ground-based radar systems. The new aircraft will supplement the existing four E-737s, providing a critical enhancement to the nation's Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities. This is seen as essential for countering the growing and evolving threats from North Korea, as well as from China.
The winning L3Harris solution utilizes an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system that provides 360-degree coverage. This is a battle-proven system already in use on AEW&C aircraft operated by Israel, Italy, and Singapore. However, with production of the Gulfstream G550 airframe—the platform on which this system was previously integrated—having ended, L3Harris will need to undertake significant engineering work to integrate the entire conformal configuration onto the new Global 6500 platform.
Seoul's choice of a modified business jet underscores a growing global trend toward using smaller, more cost-effective platforms for complex ISTAR missions. As more nations seek to acquire or expand their own AEW&C fleets, South Korea's selection could have significant implications for future competitions worldwide.