South Korea initiated the AEW&C II program in 2020 to complement its fleet of 4 E-737s that had been experiencing low mission availability charges.
South Korea’s Protection Acquisitions and Program Administration (DAPA) introduced on Sep. 30, 2025, U.S firm L3Harris because the winner of the competitors for the following AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Management) plane of the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Power), experiences from Seoul mentioned.
Designated the AEW&C II, 4 of the platforms shall be inducted by 2032 for 3.0975 trillion received ($2.2 billion), the 171st Protection Acquisition Program Promotion Committee determined. The L3Harris system is predicated on the Bombardier World 6500 enterprise jet, with the CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning)-type plane carrying an Israeli ELTA EL/W-2085 radar, in keeping with Yonhap. A fact-sheet by L3Harris says the Israeli system is a dual-band system with GaN (Gallium Nitride) know-how.
The aggressive bidding beat out the opposite contender, the Saab GlobalEye AEW&C system. A November 2024 direct FMS (International Army Gross sales) approval from the U.S. of 4 extra E-7s now additionally stands cancelled.
The ROKAF already operates 4 E-7A Wedgetails, regionally designated because the E-737, that had been inducted by 2012 beneath the Peace Eye venture. These plane had nevertheless been experiencing low mission availability charges.
軍, 차기 항공통제기로 美 L3해리스의 글로벌6500 선정 – 조선비즈
보잉의 입찰 포기로 L3해리스 vs 사브 2파전이긴 했음
이걸로 한국 공군 조기 경보 통제기는 이원화
— Alis volat propriis (@Alisvolatprop12) September 30, 2025
Manufacturing and acquisition
Typically, such cross-company partnerships would see L3Harris endeavor the modifications on the World 6500, integration of the radar and mission programs, together with the ultimate plane rollout. For the South Korean program, L3Harris has been asserting agreements and enterprise interactions with Korean Air since 2023.
A type of mentioned: “Korean Air has participated from the beginning and can present engineering and can lead in-country modification and testing actions of plane three and 4. Korean Air may even lead in-country sustainment of this system.”
A scale mannequin of the L3Harris-ELTA-Bombardier CAEW system was additionally displayed on the TADTE 2025 in Taiwan, because the island appears to switch its older E-2K AEW&Cs.
L3Harris beforehand displayed scale fashions of three different World 6500-based electromagnetic sensing plane at South Korea’s Aerospace Convention in 2024. The CAEW was designated “Phoenix” and the EW/jamming and ISTAR platforms known as “Crow” and “Griffon,” respectively, with all of them proven in ROKAF marking.
In an Trade Day L3Harris and Korean Air participated in on Aug. 13, 2024, L3Harris’ launch quoted president of ISR Sector Jason Lambert, who mentioned “If L3Harris’ World 6500 AEW&C answer is chosen, we are going to harness the ability of strategic, home industrial collaboration to realize our aim of Korean Made – Korean Operated – Korean Maintained. We’re keen about fortifying native trade with new plane modification, mission system manufacturing, logistics, and upkeep, restore and institution (MRO) capabilities.”
Lambert’s assertion additionally implied two of the 4 plane shall be purchased in a flyaway situation from L3Harri’s services within the U.S.
Korean Air’s president of the Aerospace Enterprise Division Jung Woo Park specified the corporate will safe “the most recent particular mission plane modification, integration and upkeep know-how in-country and contribute to develop the scope of home participation.” He additional added “We additionally plan to contribute to steady logistics assist by securing a sophisticated MRO heart for the Republic of Korea AEW&C program.”
On the time of writing there was no assertion from L3Harris concerning the choice of its proposal.
How the winner was chosen
Quoting DAPA, Yonhap mentioned that L3Harris secured a “greater analysis rating” than the “solely different contender” within the bidding, which was the Swedish protection agency Saab. Whereas the U.S. was not taking part within the aggressive bidding tender, it had clarified prior to now that its FMS supply remained on the desk when Seoul introduced the following part of the AEW&C venture in 2020.
Yonhap’s Korean language model additional make clear L3Harris’ last choice by quoting DAPA, saying there was “no important distinction” within the core technical efficiency of each the Saab and the L3Harris’ programs.
“L3 Harris obtained excessive scores within the areas of operational suitability, home protection trade contribution, and operation and upkeep prices, whereas Saab obtained excessive scores within the areas of contract phrases and acquisition prices. Because of synthesizing the scores for every analysis merchandise, L3 Harris obtained a excessive rating,” the report added. The GlobalEye is equally primarily based on the Bombardier World 6000/6500 enterprise jet.
L3Harris showcased a mannequin of the World 6500 “Phoenix” AEW&C on the #TADTE2025. The plane, primarily based on the Bombardier World 6500 enterprise jet, is supplied with the latest-generation EL/W-2085 CAEW (L&S) dual-band AESA radar from Israeli firm ELTA Techniques, utilizing GaN… pic.twitter.com/0rnRYuRI8c
— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) September 20, 2025
South Korea’s AEW&C II program had stalled
The Protection Acquisition and Program Administration (DAPA) launched the AEW&C II program in 2020 for acquisition by 2027. Then, in November 2024, the U.S. authorised a possible sale to Seoul of 4 E-7As beneath the FMS (International Army Gross sales) route for $4.92 billion, to complement the prevailing fleet of 4 E-737s/E-7s.
Nonetheless, the AEW&C II program had stalled in keeping with Australian Defence Journal, which reported on Jul. 17, 2025, that the bidding rounds have failed for the reason that provides “exceeded this system funds of $2.6 billion, with experiences suggesting negotiations had additionally run into difficulties over cost schedules.” Because it now seems, these points have now been resolved.
Present South Korean AEW&C functionality
As beforehand talked about, the ROKAF at the moment operates 4 E-7A Wedgetails with the native designation E-737, acquired beneath the Peace Eye program for $1.6 billion. All of them had been delivered by October 2012. The primary of the plane was manufactured and missionized at Boeing’s facility in Seattle, Washington, whereas Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) carried out the mixing on the remaining three airframes at Sacheon in South Korea.
ROKAF E-737 Peace Eye (64-700) PUS/RKPK April 2023 pic.twitter.com/7WnwANCrhV
— Andrei (@Andrei32989622) Might 3, 2023
In ROKAF’s service, the E-737 has acute serviceability points and low availability charges. In October 2019, South Korean day by day Munhwahlbo reported a ROKAF doc submitted to lawmakers citing frequent failures since 2015, failing to fulfill a focused availability price of 75%. The degraded airborne radar surveillance weakens the nation’s protection towards North Korea’s increasing ballistic and cruise missile program.
DAPA now mentioned the acquisition will “guarantee round the clock aerial surveillance capabilities towards enemy air threats throughout each wartime and peacetime, and to allow unbiased and environment friendly air management operations by the South Korean army.”
The E-7 program can also be beneath menace within the U.S. the place the 2026 funds favors cuts to this system. The system is already operated by the Turkish Air Power and the Royal Australian Air Power, with the Royal Air Power getting ready to induct it and NATO being a future consumer. The Wedgetail will change NATO’s fleet of 14 E-3 AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Management System), with the primary supply scheduled for 2031.
