Boeing, SAAB, and IAI Compete in Three-Way Race for South Korea’s AEW&C Aircraft Project

The bidding race for the “Command Center in the Sky” Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, which our military is introducing to monitor and analyze North Korean aerial threats, is warming up. This bidding race is expected to be a three-way race between Boeing, the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States, SAAB, a Swedish defense company, and IAI, an Israeli state-owned defense company.

According to industry sources, on the 26th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) received bids for the AEW&C introduction project on the 22nd. Last November, the DAPA sent out requests for proposals to companies interested in participating in the bidding race.

The DAPA stated, “The new AEW&C will enhance our ability to monitor North Korean missiles and defend our airspace.”

The additional introduction of AEW&C by the DAPA supplements the mission of the four Boeing E-737 aircraft currently operated by the Air Force. The early warning and control aircraft, also known as Peace Eye, can detect all objects in the air and at sea in North Korean territory. It also can direct operations to friendly fighter aircraft and assign new tasks. Essentially, it is a flying combat command center.

The Air Force plans to introduce four AEW&C by 2027, investing $2.261 billion. The bidding race has narrowed to a three-way battle between Boeing, SAAB, and IAI.

Boeing has an advantage in the bidding race as the Air Force already operates four Peace Eye E-737s based on Boeing 737.

Boeing emphasized, “The E-7A is equipped with Northrop Grumman’s multi-role electronically scanned array (MESA) radar sensor, providing multi-domain surveillance and communication and network battle management capabilities. Along with the E-737s owned by the Air Force, it also helps reduce life-cycle costs inherent in fleet continuity and a global common logistics model, as well as improving crew training efficiency.”

SAAB is teaming up with domestic defense specialist LIG Nex1 to compete in the bidding race. SAAB offers a “Korean military-customized solution” with its early warning and control aircraft, the “GlobalEye.” SAAB’s GlobalEye boasts performance, price, and long-term value regarding industrial cooperation with LIG Nex1.

ELTA Systems, an Israeli IAI radar specialist subsidiary, is partnering with Korean Air and American aerospace company L3Harris to participate in the AEW&C project.

L3Harris has proposed a model equipped with IAI’s state-of-the-art radar on Bombardier’s latest model, the Global 6500, to the DAPA. L3Harris plans to modify the Global 6500 for the AEW&C mission by installing an Israeli radar. The radar will be manufactured and installed by ELTA. Korean Air will provide the engineering.

Meanwhile, the first early warning aircraft of the Air Force, the E-737 AEW&C, will be upgraded by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). KAI participates in the upgrade project to equip the E-737 with improved performance Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment and tactical data link (Link-16) by providing aircraft modification, function checks, and flight test support.