WASHINGTON: America has permitted the potential sale of airborne early warning and management methods to its ally South Korea, a part of an almost US$5 billion army bundle.
The State Division mentioned on Monday (Nov 4) that it had permitted the sale of 4 E-7 Airborne Early Warning & Management (AEW&C) plane, 10 jet engines, and different methods and assist parts at an estimated price of US$4.92 billion.
The early warning and management plane, often called Wedgetails, would allow South Korea to detect missiles and different threats extra swiftly and from higher distances than ground-based radar methods.
“This proposed sale will enhance the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) capability to satisfy present and future threats by offering elevated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and airborne early warning and management capabilities,” the State Division mentioned.
“It is going to additionally improve the ROK Air Drive’s command, management, communications, computer systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) interoperability with the US,” it added.
South Korea’s Protection Acquisition Program Administration didn’t touch upon the US authorisation, however sources on the company mentioned that US-based Boeing was one in every of a number of corporations into consideration for its airborne early warning plane mission.
The US announcement comes after the Seoul army mentioned North Korea fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles early on Tuesday.
This was Pyongyang’s second launch in days and it got here simply hours earlier than the US presidential election.