S. Korea Picks L3Harris AEW&C Aircraft

SOUTH Korea picked L3Harris to supply the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) with four new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in a US$2.82 billion deal.

The new platform will be L3Harris’ Global 6500-based aircraft to strengthen the country’s early warning capabilities provided by four Boeing E-737s known as Peace Eye.

South Korean media reports stated that “L3Harris, which proposed a model equipped with the ‘EL/W-2085’ radar of Israeli defence company ELTA on the Global 6500, the latest model of Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, received a higher score” compared to Saab’s Erieye Extended Range-equipped Global Eye proposal which was also based on the same aircraft.

The country’s arms agency the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)explained, “There was no significant difference in the evaluation of the performance of the target equipment, and L3Harris received high scores in the areas of operational suitability, domestic defence industry contribution, and operation and maintenance costs, while Saab received high scores in the areas of contract terms and acquisition costs. As a result of synthesising the scores for each evaluation item, L3 Harris received a high score.”

This programme is expected to run until 2032 and will “secure the ability to conduct constant aerial surveillance of enemy aerial threats in both wartime and peacetime, and to enable smooth execution of air control missions led by the ROK military.”

A 2023 announcement of local partnership by L3Harris stated, “The AEW&C solution is based on a battle-tested L3Harris platform design using Bombardier’s premier Global 6500 high-altitude business jet, and includes the integration of IAI/ELTA’s advanced radar technology and artificial intelligence algorithms, providing the world’s most advanced airborne battle management platform. The Global 6500 is a modern aircraft that will fly higher, faster, longer and at a lower cost to acquire, operate and maintain than existing AEW&C platforms.”

“This mature and proven configuration ensures that the ROK program will be low-risk, low-cost and delivered on-time, all while ensuring maximum support to the Korea Air and Missile Defense initiative”, it added.

“Through L3Harris’ agreements with Korean Air, LIG Nex1 and Ace Antenna, and on-going discussions with additional Korean partners, the team intends that the aircraft and mission system equipment will be fully supported in Korea. Sustainment, obsolescence management and integration of future capability upgrades will be Korean industry-led with support from the L3Harris team. This strategic support extended to Korean Air paves the way for independent domestic research and development and fostering excellence in aircraft system integration, upgrades, and modifications, which will contribute significantly to the advancement of the ROK’s research and development programme”

In July,L3Harris delivered its second operational Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft missionised with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities with greater survivability and targeting line of sight along with more capacity for payloads and standoff ranges to support critical missions across the globe.  Earlier in February, L3Harris delivered the first missionised Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft, making it the only pair of fully operational platforms equipped with advanced radar, electronic and communications intelligence capabilities. 

“Given the operational need for affordable yet capable ISR aircraft, we are seeing an uptick in demand to take a commercial platform like a business jet and add mission equipment and survivability features. This model accelerates the timeline for aircraft delivery and mission readiness.” said L3Harris ISR President Jason Lambert.

This delivery brings the company’s total to 103 missionised business jets fielded to date, reinforcing its global market leadership in business jet missionisation. With more than 70 years of experience, the company has delivered thousands of aircraft missionised for ISR, maritime and other special missions based on more than 130 platform types from dozens of aircraft manufacturers.

The company has an additional 14 business jet aircraft modifications currently on order as of July 2025.–shp/adj/dl (Pix:L3HARRIS)