# South Korea News & Discussions



## Mig-29

SEOUL - South Korea will refocus its KF-X fighter-development program, which aimed to create a fifth-generation stealth fighter, and instead solicit foreign firms' help in producing about 250 F-16-class fighter jets after 2010, according to a research institute here.
South Korea wants to retire the F-4Ds, shown above, which were received from the U.S. Air Force inventory. 

The Weapon Systems Concept Development and Application Research Center of Konkuk University was ordered in April by the government to look at the feasibility of the controversial KF-X effort, which originally aimed to produce and market about 120 aircraft, stealthier than Dassault's Rafale or the Eurofighter Typhoon but not as stealthy as Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II.

On May 18, the center told major foreign aircraft manufacturers that the South Korean military wants to replace older F-4s and F-5s with a lesser fighter, one on par with the F-16 Block 50. In a letter, the center sent detailed operational requirements for the new jet, which is to have basic stealth technology and a domestically built active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

"Korea has been evaluated with the capacity of 63 percent of necessary technology if the total technology is assumed 100 percent," the letter said. "That  means that self-development of aircraft is possible with joint development of core technology  and technology transfer from abroad."

On May 29, the center asked Boeing, Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin and Saab about their views on the per-plane cost estimate of $50 million, as well as budget-sharing ideas and technology transfer.

The center will wrap up the feasibility study by October. The Ministry of National Defense will issue a decision on the KF-X initiative by year's end.

Requirements

The new jet is to have a combat radius about 1.5 times that of the F-16; an airframe life span 1.34 times longer than that of the F-16; better avionics than that of the F-16 Block 50; an electronic warfare suite; an infrared search-and-track system; and data link systems fit for a network-centric environment, the document says.

South Korea's LIG Nex1 is likely to build the AESA radar using technology provided by Israel's Elta Systems.

Among other required capabilities are thrust of 50,000 pounds, provided by either one or two engines; super-velocity intercept and supercruise capabilities; and the ability to hit targets in the air, on land and at sea.

In the first 11 years of exploratory and full-scale development, about 120 KF-Xs would be built to replace F-4s and F-5s, and more than 130 aircraft would be produced after the first-phase models reach initial operational capability.

An industry source here said Boeing might be the front-runner with its F/A-18 Super Hornet and other 4.5-generation fighter technologies.

Sweden's Saab aerospace group might take part as a systems integrator with Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea's only aircraft maker, he said.

Greg Lexton, vice president of Boeing Korea, said July 23Boeing is looking at South Korea's KF-X proposal and called an F/A-18 green aircraft a "possible idea."

A Lockheed Martin executive noted that his firm had worked with South Korea to produce KF-16s under license and develop the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet. He also noted Lockheed's co-development work with European nations, Japan and Taiwan.

"We'll look at what South Korea wants carefully and discuss what Lockheed Martin will be able to do or not be able to do for the KF-X in the coming months," he said.

Defense analysts here remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the KF-X program.

One chief researcher at the state-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) recalled an earlier study by a local economic policy think tank that concluded that the program would cost at least $10 billion, but would reap only $3 billion in economic benefits.

"I believe there have been no major changes in the content of the KF-X program since the 2007 feasibility study," he said. "There is almost no persuasion in the rationale behind the costly program. Do you want to acquire sophisticated stealth aircraft technologies through the KF-X partnership? Or do you believe indigenous KF-16+ aircraft could be operationally feasible and sold to other nations after 2020?"

State-of-the-art fifth-generation combat aircraft, such as the F-35 and Typhoon, are expected to dominate the global market between 2020 and 2050, so developing an indigenous KF-16+-level fighter could never be sound economically and technically, the researcher said. 

South Korea Drops 5th-Generation Fighter Plan - Defense News

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## Mig-29

South Korea will develop an indigenous mechanically scanned array (MESA) radar for aircraft with the help of Israel, officials at the Defense Acquisition Program (DAPA) said Thursday. LIG Nex1, a leading defense firm in South Korea, will sign a deal with Israel's Elta Systems on the first phase of development of radars to equip TA-50 light-armed aircraft and FA-50 attack fighters, they said. Both firms will hold a signing ceremony Sept. 3 in Seoul.The TA-50 and FA-50 are modified versions of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet jointly built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin of the United States.The South Korean Air Force is buying 82 T-50 variants &#8213; 50 T-50s, 22 TA-50s and 10 T-50Bs modified for aerobatics. KAI signed a deal last December to develop and produce 60 FA-50s by 2012 to replace A-37 attack jets and F-4/5 fighters as backup to the Air Force's KF-16s and F-15Ks. Under the envisaged agreement, LIG Nex1 will push for developing an indigenous MESA radar based on the Israeli firm's EL/M-2032 radar technologies, agency officials said. The EL/M-2032 radar is credited with a look-up tracking range of 65 to 100 kilometers. ``The indigenous radar is expected to be built by the end of 2010 and subsequently enter service in 2011,'' a DAPA official said, asking to remain anonymous. In the mid- to long-term, the domestically-built radar is likely to be installed on upgraded KF-16 fighters and further developed to an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to equip ``KF-X'' fighters with technology transfers from Elta, sources said. Initiated in 2001, the KF-X program aims to develop more than 120 indigenous fighters by 2020 in partnership with foreign aircraft manufacturers.

ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korea to Develop Radar With Israel

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## blain2

South Koreans are a great example to emulate in terms of technological development for South Asia.

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## Mig-29

T-50 Golden Eagle is ready for a shot at a contest in Singapore.

The T-50 Golden Eagle, a South Korean supersonic trainer jet, is ready for a shot at a contest in Singapore. But it needs to get over its Italian nemesis to achieve the feat after frustration in its first bidding competition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the shortlist with the T-50 is the M-346 of Italys Alenia Aermacchi, which was picked up as the preferred bidder in the Middle Eastern country earlier this year. Lockheed Martin, the bid partner, and the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the T-50 manufacturer, submitted its bid to Singapore this month. The countrys government sent the selected competitors requests for proposals late last year, and plans to decide on a preferred bidder between the two before the end of the year. The T-50 is trying to consolidate in the $500-million deal by pursuing stronger defense ties with Singapore. Following the introduction of the high-end jet during the Singapore Air Show in February last year, Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Kye-hoon met with Singapores Air Force chief, Maj. Gen. Ng Chee Khern, to promote the jet in his three-day visit to the Southeast Asian country. The Ministry of Knowledge Economy is avoiding involvement in the project, marking a contrast to the strong government involvement in the T-50 bid for the UAE deal. This time, Lockheed is taking the lead. This time, the ministry is just following the bid progress, but is not involved in the deal itself, said Jung Hong-kon, a ministry official. However, an industry watcher says that Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi is playing an active role in promoting his countrys bid. This needs involvement at the highest level, he said, calling on President Lee Myung-bak to push the T-50 bid. KAI could have an advantage in Lockheed Martins involvement in the project, as the U.S. maker participated in Singapores PC-21 contract and also forms the essential part of the countrys combat capability with its F-16 fighters. On the other hand, Aermacchi is teamed with ST Aerospace, a state-run Singaporean aviation service company. KAI expects that success in Singapore will be pivotal to the T-50 program, with which it wants to secure some 30 percent of the global trainers market within 25 years. It says it is confident when it comes to the quality of the Golden Eagle jet. The T-50, first launched in 2001, is regarded as the worlds sole supersonic high-performance trainer in production. However, high prices were a huge drag in the UAE contest, according to industry watchers. The T-50 jets flyaway cost is set at between 20 and 25 billion won ($16 and $20 million), while that of the M-346 is cheaper by up to a fifth. The Korean company has kept an extremely low profile about the prospects for the deal, saying that both the quality and price competitiveness of the jet and education service are their strong point in winning the bid. There were rumors that it would try some special discount for the first export deal, but a KAI official refused to confirm the speculation.

ASIAN DEFENCE: T-50 Golden Eagle is ready for a shot at a contest in Singapore


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## Mig-29

MH-60S Multi-Mission Helicopters for South Korea

Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government Korea of eight MH-60S Multi-Mission Helicopters with 16 T700-GE-401C Turbo shaft engines and associated Airborne Mine Countermeasure (AMCM) Sensors, eight AN/AQS-20A Towed Sonar Mine Countermeasure Systems, eight AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems, eight AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization Systems, eight AN/ALQ-220 Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep Systems, eight AN/AWS-2 Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance Systems and related support and services. The estimated cost is $1.0 billion. The Republic of Korea has requested a possible sale eight MH-60S Multi-Mission Helicopters with 16 T700-GE-401C Turbo shaft engines and associated Airborne Mine Countermeasure (AMCM) Sensors, eight AN/AQS-20A Towed Sonar Mine Countermeasure Systems, eight AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems, eight AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization Systems, eight AN/ALQ-220 Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep Systems, eight AN/AWS-2 Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance Systems, test and support equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and other related logistics support.

ASIAN DEFENCE: MH-60S Multi-Mission Helicopters for South Korea


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## Mig-29

South Korea Heads For The High Seas

July 24, 2009: South Korea is establishing two high seas ("blue water") squadrons, each with a 7,600 ton KDX III Aegis destroyer, and three 4,500 ton destroyers, plus maritime patrol aircraft and support ships. This is a major shift for South Korea, which has long concentrated its naval power on coastal defense, against North Korean attack. But the North Korean navy, and armed forces in general, have been declining for over a decade, because the country has been going broke from mismanagement and the disappearance of Cold War era subsidies from the Soviet Union.

Part of this high seas strategy is the building of a new naval base on the island of Jeju, off the south coast, in the straights between Korea and Japan. Construction will be completed in five years. Three KDX III Aegis destroyers are being built. One is in service, and the second will be commissioned later this year. Each of these ships carries two helicopters, in addition to anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. South Korea is also building a class of 1,800 ton submarines, for high seas operations.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsurf/articles/20090724.aspx


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## Mig-29

S. Korea, United States To Conduct War Games 

SEOUL - South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual computerized joint military exercise aimed at improving interoperability next month, the Combine Forces Command (CFC) here said July 24.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), formerly known as Ulchi Focus Lens, will be held from Aug. 17-27, the command said in a news release.

About 56,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 American troops will take part in the command and control, war-fighting exercise, a CFC spokesman said.

The forthcoming exercise will be the second one in which South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff will serve in a leading role with the U.S. Forces Korea serving in a supporting role, in rehearsal training for the planned transition of wartime operational control from the U.S. military to Korean commanders.

Under a 2007 agreement on command rearrangements, the U.S.-led CFC will be deactivated in April 17, 2012. The militaries will then launch separate theater commands.

"UFG 09, as with all other CFC exercises, is a defense oriented exercise designed to improve the alliance's ability to defend the ROK against external aggression," the release said. "United Nations Command has informed the Korean People's Army in North Korea about UFG 09 and assured them that this is a defensive military readiness exercise, and that is not meant to be provocative in any way."

North Korea regularly denounces joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, calling them as a rehearsal for invasion.

S. Korea, United States To Conduct War Games - Defense News


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## Mig-29

S. Korea, United States To Conduct War Games 

SEOUL - South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual computerized joint military exercise aimed at improving interoperability next month, the Combine Forces Command (CFC) here said July 24.

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), formerly known as Ulchi Focus Lens, will be held from Aug. 17-27, the command said in a news release.

About 56,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 American troops will take part in the command and control, war-fighting exercise, a CFC spokesman said.

The forthcoming exercise will be the second one in which South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff will serve in a leading role with the U.S. Forces Korea serving in a supporting role, in rehearsal training for the planned transition of wartime operational control from the U.S. military to Korean commanders.

Under a 2007 agreement on command rearrangements, the U.S.-led CFC will be deactivated in April 17, 2012. The militaries will then launch separate theater commands.

"UFG 09, as with all other CFC exercises, is a defense oriented exercise designed to improve the alliance's ability to defend the ROK against external aggression," the release said. "United Nations Command has informed the Korean People's Army in North Korea about UFG 09 and assured them that this is a defensive military readiness exercise, and that is not meant to be provocative in any way."

North Korea regularly denounces joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, calling them as a rehearsal for invasion.

S. Korea, United States To Conduct War Games - Defense News


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## Mig-29

South Korean Military To Build Solar-Powered Unmanned Aircraft.


SEOUL, July 25 (Bernama) -- South Korea's military plans to build a solar-powered unmanned aircraft from 2015, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a military source as saying Saturday.

The state-run Korean Agency for Defense Development, which is in charge of developing weapons, is pushing to build a solar unmanned aerial vehicle as part of the government's efforts to go green, the source said.

"The military plans to expand its investment in green-energy technology," the source said.

Early this month, the Ministry of Defense said it will seek a 7.9 percent rise in its budget for next year with the aim of bolstering its weapons system to counter increasing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

The proposal, if approved, would allow the ministry to spend 30.8 trillion won (US$24.6 billion) in fiscal 2010.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=427961


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## Mig-29

South Korea and Lockheed team up to build and export Aegis warships.

US defence group Lockheed Martin and South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries will team up to build and export mid-size warships equipped with advanced Aegis weapons systems, an official said Wednesday. They signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2006 to jointly produce Aegis-equipped guided missile ships, Hyundai Heavy spokesman Cho Woo-Tae told. Cho said it is thought to be very rare for Lockheed to partner with a foreign company to produce Aegis-equipped vessels for possible sale to a third country. Aegis, one of the most advanced naval defence systems, is designed to simultaneously track and destroy a multiple number of incoming missiles. Asked why the agreement was not made public for three years, the spokesman said Hyundai Heavy rarely discloses MoUs. "I believe Lockheed decided to disclose it to the media probably because there is some progress in looking for buyers."

Hyundai Heavy is the world's biggest shipbuilder. "The idea is that the partnership would make it possible to build high profit-margin warships at a reasonable price," said Cho. Concrete terms need to be fixed but the two firms could produce 4,000 to 6,000-ton ships under the joint project, Cho said. He added the vessels could be sold to third countries such as India but no firm decisions had been made given the sensitivity of the technology. South Korea's navy in May 2007 launched its first Aegis-equipped warship, the 7,600-ton Sejong the Great, jointly built by Hyundai and Lockheed. It was used to track North Korea's long-range rocket launch in April, along with US Aegis ships. South Korea plans to launch a second Aegis destroyer in 2010 and a third in 2012, in an attempt to keep up with the naval powers of Japan and China. 

ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korea and Lockheed team up to build and export Aegis warships


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## Mig-29

S. Korea to Upgrade Military Communication Network

South Korea will begin developing a digital command-and-control and sensor-to-shooter battlefield system next year, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced July 28.

The plan was approved by the supreme arms procurement committee presided over by Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee, the agency said in a news release.

The development of the Tactical Information Communication Network (TICN) will be completed by 2012.

Work will begin with two years of exploratory development and funding of about 181 billion won ($146 million), said Yoon Chang-oak, chief of the agency's tactical communication and control business department. Over the subsequent eight years, about 4.8 trillion won ($3.8 billion) will be spent to produce and deploy the TICN replacing the South Korean Army's SPIDER communications system, Yoon said.

"For the TICN development, we'll make the most of the made-in-Korea WiBro technology and other indigenous state-of-the-art information technologies with the help of local communications systems developers," Yoon said.

The SPIDER system can transmit only still images and voice data; TICN will allow for the integrated transmission of video, image and voice data more than 10 times faster, he said.

The agency will open a bid for the TICN development project in August and sign contracts with final bidders by the end of December, Yoon noted.

DAPA sources said companies that participated in the exploratory development phase, such as Samsung Thales, LIG Nex1 and Huneed Technologies, will likely to be selected as preferred bidders for the full-scale development phase again.

The TICN exploratory development was overseen by the state-funded Agency for Defense Development. The network system consists of five sub-systems, including High Capacity Trunk Radio (HCTR), Tactical Multi-band and Multi-role Radio (TMMR) and Network Management System (NMS).

Samsung Thales was a main developer of TICN, taking charge of the development of NMS and two other sub-systems. LIG Nex1 was in charge of TMMR, while Huneed was a main contractor for HCTR.

S. Korea to Upgrade Military Communication Network - Defense News


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## Mig-29

South Korea and the United States will conduct joint military exercise


South Korea and the United States will kick off their annual computerized joint military exercise aimed at improving interoperability next month, the Combine Forces Command (CFC) here said July 24. The Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), formerly known as Ulchi Focus Lens, will be held from Aug. 17-27, the command said in a news release.

About 56,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 American troops will take part in the command and control, war-fighting exercise, a CFC spokesman said. The forthcoming exercise will be the second one in which South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff will serve in a leading role with the U.S. Forces Korea serving in a supporting role, in rehearsal training for the planned transition of wartime operational control from the U.S. military to Korean commanders.

Under a 2007 agreement on command rearrangements, the U.S.-led CFC will be deactivated in April 17, 2012. The militaries will then launch separate theater commands. "UFG 09, as with all other CFC exercises, is a defense oriented exercise designed to improve the alliance's ability to defend the ROK against external aggression," the release said. "United Nations Command has informed the Korean People's Army in North Korea about UFG 09 and assured them that this is a defensive military readiness exercise, and that is not meant to be provocative in any way."North Korea regularly denounces joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, calling them as a rehearsal for invasion.

ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korea and the United States will conduct joint military exercise


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## Mig-29

South Korea unveiled its first homegrown helicopter

South Korea on Friday unveiled its first homegrown helicopter, hoping it will propel the nation's budding aerospace industry and step in for an aging military fleet. Able to push 260km per hour and hover high above the nation's craggy terrain, the first prototype of the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH), also called the "Surion," was displayed at a ceremony in this southwestern city attended by senior government officials, including President Lee Myung-bak. "We should use the successful development of the indigenous helicopter as a spring board to move forward and join the ranks of advanced industrialized countries in the 21st century," Lee said at the ceremony.

Helped by Europe's leading helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. and other local companies designed the Surion, with 60 percent of all parts and components being made in the country. Officials have stressed Surion's ability to serve in both defense and civilian roles is significant in terms of future growth potential. "Even though it is primarily a military helicopter, the KUH already satisfies 96 percent or 2,363 of the 2,460 international operational standards for civilian helicopters," said Lee Jae-hong, head of the machinery, aerospace and defense industry division at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. The project's managers said that while initial aircraft will be supplied exclusively to the military, civilian orders will be sought beginning in 2011 at the latest to ensure a better return on investment. The government and private firms have poured a combined 1.3 trillion won (US$1 billion) into the aircraft's development since it began in 2006.
South Korea has produced propeller-driven supersonic jets in the past, but the Surion makes it one of only 11 countries in the world to turn out an indigenous helicopter. The ministry, which contributed heavily to the project, said the aircraft will help South Korea make inroads into the fiercely competitive global aerospace market. In addition to the prototype, three other aircraft will be built to conduct various flight safety tests. Full-scale production is to begin in June 2012. South Korea's aging fleet of UH-1Hs and 500MD choppers, many of which have been in service for over 30 years, are set to be phased out. Independent sources speculate the South Korean military may require as many as 250 Surion choppers. Seoul also aims to win 300 overseas military orders for the KUH in the next 25 years, a government official said on condition of anonymity. That is roughly 30 percent of the projected global demand for Surion-type choppers, which are larger than the UH-1 Iroquois but smaller than the UH-60 Black Hawks.

The Surion is designed to fly a fully equipped squad of troops or an equal amount of equipment for two hours. It can climb 152m per minute and maintain a stable hover at 3,000m. Special emphasis was placed in the design on meeting variable combat conditions needed to ensure the survival of the crew. Related to the KUH development, the Defense Ministry said earlier in the week it may scrap a plan to buy used Apache helicopters from the United States because of feasibility issues. With the move, South Korea is expected to build an indigenous fleet of attack helicopters to replace its AH-1 Cobra fleet in the coming years.





ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korea unveiled its first homegrown helicopter


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## Mig-29

South Korea may scrap plan to buy used U.S. Apache helicopters

South Korea is considering scrapping its plan to buy second-hand Apache attack helicopters from the United States due to feasibility issues, an official said Wednesday. The South Korean Army has hundreds of helicopters that will be decommissioned over the next decade. The country began considering purchasing replacements from the U.S. last year when its longstanding ally offered to sell dozens of used Apaches at discount prices.
But a South Korean defense official privy to the matter said his government would have to purchase 30 years worth of replacement parts along with the Apaches, creating feasibility issues. "Tens of thousands of parts are involved in a single Apache helicopter," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Buying 30 years worth of them is financially difficult." "There is also a problem with the compatibility between Apaches and the tactical data link systems we operate here," the official added. South Korea seeks to develop its own attack helicopters in a project estimated to cost between 5 trillion to 10 trillion won (US$4 billion to $8 billion), while it seeks to develop an indigenous utility helicopter. "We expect to reach a final conclusion as early as early next year on how we're going to replace our aging helicopters," the official said. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration in Seoul released a statement concerning the plan, saying, "no ultimate decision has been made."


ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korea may scrap plan to buy used U.S. Apache helicopters


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## Mig-29

US May Withdraw More Apache Helos From Korea by 2012

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) is considering pulling its remaining battalion of Apache attack helicopters out of South Korea by 2012, when operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops during wartime is transferred from the U.S. military to South Korean commanders, according to an American industry official. The comment was made by the official at Lockheed Martin, which was organizing a media tour for Korean journalists in mid-July, sources here said Sunday.``The official privy to U.S. military affairs made the comment during a briefing on his firm's helicopter armament,'' a source said on condition of anonymity. ``He was quite confident about the information.''A U.S. military source in Seoul questioned the credibility of the official's comment but agreed at the same time that USFK delployments could be changed in a flexible manner, in accordance with evolving security conditions.The remark, in particular, came at a sensitive time when the Seoul government was reconsidering purchasing second-hand U.S. Apache helicopters, as relevant conditions regarding spare parts supply and systems integration were not met.Earlier, Seoul had positively considered buying 36 refurbished Apache helicopters from the U.S. government in a bid to boost the Army's independent anti-tank and fire support capabilities, as well as fill an operational gap following the relocation of one of the two USFK Apache battalions in March for rotational deployment to Afghanistan.The USFK now maintains a battalion of 24 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters. The AH-64D Apache Longbow is an all-weather, day-night military attack helicopter. Its armament includes a 30mm M230 Chain Gun, AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and Hydra 70 laser-guided rockets.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is conducting a comprehensive feasibility study on introducing advanced attack helicopters to replace the Army's aging 500MD TOW and AH-1S helicopters. A DAPA spokesman said the agency was studying all options on the table, including purchasing older Apaches, ordering new foreign attack helicopters and building an indigenous model. On July 31, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea's only aircraft maker, unveiled the first prototype of the indigenous Surion utility helicopter built with technical assistance from Eurocopter.KAI hopes that it will develop the Surion into a helicopter gunship or use accrued technologies in building a heavy attack helicopter in partnership with foreign manufacturers.

ASIAN DEFENCE: US May Withdraw More Apache Helos From Korea by 2012


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## Mig-29

IAF mulls purchase of South Korean fighter jets

A delegation of three Israeli Air Force officers will leave for South Korea this week to examine the T-50 Golden Eagle, a candidate to replace the IAF's veteran Skyhawk jets. This is the first time in 40 years that Israel is considering purchasing a fighter jet not made locally or in the United States. The IAF seeks to purchase 20 to 30 light attack jets to be used by pilot school cadets in advanced stages of combat pilot training. The T-50 is produced by Korean Airspace, in partnership with American company Lockheed-Martin. It took its maiden flight in 2002 and is used in the South Korean air force as a light attack jet and for training purposes. The IAF has been taking interest in the jet since as early as 2003, and the positive impressions gathered over the years have led to the unusual step of sending an official delegation to examine a non-American fighter aircraft. Other candidates for purchase include the T-45, an American model of the British Hawk training aircraft, and the M-346, produced by the Italian firm Alenia Aermacchi. At the moment the T-50 appears to be in the lead, as its performance matches closely that of the IAF destroyers, especially the F-16s.
Advertisement
The Skyhawk, set to be replaced by the new purchase, first arrived to Israel in 1968, marking the beginning of the American era for IAF, which used mostly French jets at the time. The Skyhawk served in bombing and close air support. Today several dozens Skyhawks still serve in the 102 squadron ("Flying Tiger"), and in the pilot training school. Last year an expose in The Marker revealed a series of flaws in the maintenance of the jets, which led to the temporary grounding of the entire contingent. Sources in the IAF said recently they have overcome those issues, but admitted that using such an old airplane was "disconcerting.

ASIAN DEFENCE: IAF mulls purchase of South Korean fighter jets


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## Mig-29

S. Korea To Develop F-16 Simulators 


SEOUL - South Korea will develop a dozen of its own F-16/KF-16 fighter flight simulators by 2014 to help pilots keep up with fighter upgrades and conduct sustainable training amid high oil prices, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Aug. 4.

The agency awarded Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's only aircraft maker, a 130 billion won ($106 million) contract, to develop up-to-date flight simulators and unit training devices for F-16/KF-16 pilots, as well as upgrade existing simulation systems, according to a news release.

Previously, South Korean airmen used flight simulators developed by Raytheon, a DAPA spokesman said.

The new systems will help pilots practice tactical flight, emergency landing, and normal landing and take-off, the release said.

Mass production will begin after the improvement and development of the new simulators are completed by November 2014, it added.

"Once entering service, the new simulators are expected to not only help resolve the shortage of flight training for pilots, resulted from high oil prices, but also improve pilots' aircraft operational capabilities to an extent," it said.

The South Korean Air Force operates an older fleet of 34 Block 32 F-16s purchased in the 1980s and a newer fleet of 135 KF-16s manufactured locally to the Block 52 standard from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s.

Earlier this year, the Air Force unveiled plans to upgrade KF-16 fighters. The upgrades will include arming the aircraft with precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions and other guided weapons.

Another key upgrade is a replacement for the fighter's existing APG-68(v)5/(v)7 radar systems.

S. Korea To Develop F-16 Simulators - Defense News


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## Mig-29

Republic of Korea &#8211; AIM-9X SIDEWINDER Missiles


The Republic of Korea (ROK) has requested a possible sale of 55 All-Up-Round 
AIM-9X SIDEWINDER Missiles, 12 AIM-9X SIDEWINDER Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs), 2 AIM-9X CATM Missile Guidance Units, missile containers, missile modifications, test and support equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and other related logistical support.

ASIAN DEFENCE: Republic of Korea &#8211; AIM-9X SIDEWINDER Missiles


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## Mig-29

S. Korea to Deploy New Anti-Sub Torpedoes By 2012

SEOUL - South Korea will by 2012 deploy 60 to 70 long-range ship-to-submarine light torpedoes that can travel about 20 kilometers in the air before dropping into waters to track and destroy targets, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The agency approved a plan Aug. 13 to produce the first batch of Hongsangeo (Red Shark) torpedoes and ship-based vertical launch systems with the investment of $145 million, agency officials said Aug. 16. A follow-up production will be made between 2013 and 2015, they said.

In June, the state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced the nine years of development of the Hongsangeo rocket to equip the country's KDX-I/II destroyers. LIG Nex1, a leading South Korean missile manufacturer co-developed the $1.6-million-weapon with the investment of about $80 million.

The ADD and LIG Nex1 have already developed the conventional "shark-series" torpedoes, including Cheongsangeo (Blue Shark) light torpedo and Baeksangeo (White Shark) heavy torpedo.

"The successful development of the precision-guided Hongsangeo missile system has laid the groundwork for developing the South Korean Navy's anti-submarine operational capability to a world-class level," the ADD said in a news release. 

S. Korea to Deploy New Anti-Sub Torpedoes By 2012 - Defense News


----------



## Mig-29

South Korea Deploying 1,000-Kilometer Cruise Missiles

South Korea began deploying 1,000-kilometer-range surface-to-surface cruise missiles in the field earlier this year, according to missile developers and military sources Monday.

The missile, a modified variant of the Hyunmoo missile, is capable of reaching as far as Beijing and Tokyo, as well as hitting key targets in the entire North Korean territory, they said.

It is the first time that the development and deployment of the long-range cruise missile, dubbed Hyunmoo-III, have been confirmed. Previously, the government neither confirmed nor denied the cruise missile development in an apparent move not to provoke tensions with China and Japan, as well as North Korea.

The Hyunmoo is a ballistic missile, developed by the state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and LIG Nex1, a leading missile developer in South Korea, with a range of 180 to 300 kilometers.

"Production of the Hyunmoo-III missile began earlier this year at LIG Nex1 facilities in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, and the missiles have been delivered to an Army unit," a source told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.

The Hyunmoo-III can hit targets with a margin of error of plus or minus five meters aided by a Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) system, according to the source.

Hyunmoo-II ballistic missiles, with a range of 300 kilometers, have been operational since last year, the source revealed, adding the ADD and LIG Nex1 began developing the 1,500-kilometer-range Hyunmoo-IIIA cruise missile recently.

In an effort to help thwart North Korea's increasing asymmetrical capability of missile and nuclear weapons, the Seoul government has pushed for developing long-range cruise missiles since 2006, when the North test-fired the Taepodong-2 intercontinental ballistic missile and subsequently conducted its first nuclear test.

Seoul's development of a long-range cruise missile doesn't violate guidelines restricting the country's missile technology.

South Korea restricted its missile range to 300 kilometers in a 2001 agreement with the United States, which declared at the same time it would support South Korea's membership in the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

The MTCR is an informal and voluntary regime of more than 30 countries that seeks to limit missile proliferation by restricting exports of missiles that have a range of 300 kilometers or more, and capable of delivering a 500-kilogram payload.

The regime, however, only applies to high-velocity, free flight ballistic missiles, excluding the slower, surface-skimming cruise weapons.

The cruise missile, dubbed a "flying bomb," is a guided missile that uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. The self-navigating cruise missile travels at supersonic or high subsonic speeds and flies in a non-ballistic very low altitude trajectory to avoid radar detection.

Only a few nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Israel, possess advanced long-range cruise missiles.

Since Pyongyang test-fired an ICBM last April and subsequently conducted a second nuclear test a month later, South Korean authorities have raised the need of revising the missile range guidelines.

The Hyunmoo ballistic missiles are capable of striking Pyongyang and Shinuiju in North Korea in the case of war, as well as short- and medium-range missile sites in Shinsang-ri, South Hamgyeong Province and Gitaeryeong, Gangwon Province.

But the missiles can't hit North Korean long-range missile sites, including the Musudan-ri site in North Hamgyeong Province, located more than 300 kilometers from Seoul.

Against that backdrop, many defense analysts here say South Korea should be allowed to develop ballistic missiles with ranges of 550 to 700 kilometers to cover the entire North.

North Korea has deployed more than 600 Scud missiles with a range of 320-500 kilometers and 200 Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 kilometers near the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas.

The reclusive state is also believed to be pushing ahead with the development of a 6,700-kilometer-range intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the western part of the United States.

ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009


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## Mig-29

KDX-III Aegis Destroyer to Track Launch of Korea Space Launch Vehicle(KSLV)-1

Sejong the Great, the Navy's 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer, will monitor and track the Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV)-1, or Naro-ho, in an effort to evaluate its missile tracking capability, an official of the Ministry of National Defense said. Naro-ho is set to blast off Wednesday from the country's southern region.

The KDX-III destroyer, equipped with the Aegis Combat System developed by Lockheed Martin of the U.S., entered service last December and underwent tests of its operational performances. The ship is to play a key role in monitoring, tracking and intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) from North Korea in the case of hostilities.

The KDX-III's SPY-1D radar is one of the most advanced among Aegis radar systems deployed around the world. It can track about 1,000 aircraft within a 500-kilometer radius simultaneously, providing full 360-degree coverage.

``The launch of the Naro-ho will offer a great opportunity for the Sejong destroyer to test and evaluate its performances, since a space vehicle, in general, has almost same design, components and technology as those of an ICBM,'' the official said, asking not to be named.

North Korea launched a rocket that it argued was carrying a communications satellite. The international community suspected the rocket launch was a disguise for an ICBM missile test.

ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009


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## Mig-29

U.S. Forces Korea Chief Urges Seoul to Join US BMD


South Korea should participate in a U.S. regional missile defense network to thwart the lingering threat posed by North Korea's missile programs, the top American commander here said .

In an exclusive interview with The Korea Times, Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said South Korea should develop a multi-layered missile defense system interoperable with the U.S. high-altitude ballistic missile defense (BMD) shield for defense against a possible North Korean missile attack, the top American commander here said Wednesday.

Sharp made the remarks at a time when tension is growing here amid reports that North Korea is preparing to test-fire a long-range missile capable of hitting the United States and has successfully deployed 3,000-kilomter-range short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles putting neighboring countries, such as Japan, Russia and India within striking distance.

``The ROK does not have a robust missile defense capability in place and this would likely be one of the bridging capabilities the U.S. would provide until the ROK improves this,'' Sharp said in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times this week. ROK is the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

In this regard, both the ROK and U.S. would benefit greatly from interoperability and the exchange of data between missile defense systems, said the general, who concurrently serves as chief of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the United Nations Command (UNC). ``We encourage the ROK to develop a layered and robust defense that provides protection at all levels.''

The United States has asked South Korea to participate in the U.S.-led global missile defense network, which Japan has already joined. Since 2004, Washington and Tokyo have been working jointly to develop a regional ballistic missile defense shield against possible attacks from Pyongyang, which fired a missile over Japan in 1998 and conducted a nuclear device test in 2006.

The U.S.-Japan defense system consists of up-to-date sea-to-air SM-3 missiles and PAC-3 interceptors. Previous liberal governments in South Korea opposed the idea of participating in the U.S. BMD effort, citing budget constraints and a possible backlash from North Korea and neighboring countries such as China and Russia.

The atmosphere has changed, however, as the Lee Myung-bak administration, which has put top priority on ties with the United States, is looking to cooperate with the BMD initiative amid the lingering threat posed by North Korea's missile programs, observers say.

South Korea, for its part, is on track to build an independent low-tier theater missile shied intended to engage the North's low-flying, short- and intermediate-range missiles with the help of early warning radars, Aegis-based SM-2 ship-to-air missile systems and modified PAC-2 interceptors.

``The North Korean ballistic missile threat to the ROK and its allies is very real,'' said Sharp. ``They have 800 increasingly sophisticated missiles, and have tested a missile that many think could reach the United States.''

8th Army Transformation

In the interview, Gen. Sharp said the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) headquarters in Seoul would be reorganized into an operational command post after 2012, when South Korean commanders take over wartime operational control (OPCON) of its armed forces from the U.S. military.

``Of course, it is no secret that we are in the progress of transforming our headquarters as part of the overall Army Transformation Plan,'' the four-star general noted. ``This transformation includes new equipment to keep us compatible with other U.S. Army units, and a reorganization of the headquarters into an operational command post, making it more capable of commanding and controlling fighting units in the event of hostilities.''

There will be the EUSA headquarters, in some form, maintained in South Korea ``for the foreseeable future, well past the scheduled OPCON transfer,'' he added.

The debate over moving the EUSA headquarters has been controversial since a 2007 agreement on the OPCON transfer because of the army command's symbolic status on the peninsula.

Established in 1944 in Memphis, Tennessee, the EUSA became the spearhead for the United Nations Command (UNC) to halt aggression from North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, and ultimately assumed overall responsibility for conducting ground operations on the peninsula under the command of a four-star American general.

But the command's roles and missions have been significantly reduced since the establishment of the CFC, which took charge of wartime operations on the peninsula in 1978. Since then, a three-star general has taken charge of the EUSA.

Apache Relocation

The USFK commander dismissed a possible security vacuum following the planned pullout of an AH-64 Apache helicopter battalion from the peninsula next month. The Apache battalion would not likely return to South Korea, he said.

``The U.S. remains committed to the security of the Republic of Korea. That commitment is unwavering,'' he said. ``The key consideration for the F-16 deployment to Korea was ensuring there was not gap in capability when the Apaches departed.''

Last November, the USFK announced one of the two Apache battalions was being relocated to Fort Carson, Colorado, until March, in order to make the unit available for rotational deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

A-10 ``tank killer'' jets were initially considered to replace the departing Apaches but the USFK withdrew the plan due to requirements for inspections and repairs to the A-10 fleet. Last week, 16 F-16s from Japan, instead of A-10s, arrived at an air base in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

Sharp said, ``While I would not rule out the possibility that the Apache battalion could return to Korea when it is no longer needed in support of the Global War on Terrorism, there are no plans for that to take place at this time.''

The F-16s can conduct a broad range of missions, including close air support, precision strikes and counter-air strikes, adding significant capability in several areas, he stressed.

The AH-64 Apache Longbow helicopter, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and Hydra 70 laser-guided rockets are crucial assets for South's defense, as their main missions are to help prevent North Korean special forces from infiltrating the South by sea and neutralizing North Korean army's armored units crossing of the military demarcation line in case of war.

ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009

---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------

S. Korean Marines to Join PKO Drills in Mongolia

South Korea will dispatch a platoon of Marines for the first time to a multinational peacekeeping exercise to be held in Mongolia later this month, government officials said. Korea has participated in the annual ``Khan Quest'' exercise since 2006 as an observer by sending working-level officers.

This year's exercise will take place from Aug. 15 to 25 at a training camp, about 40 miles west of the capital Ulan Bator, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said. Since 2001, the general staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces, with the support of the U.S. Pacific Command, has organized the summer peacekeeping exercise.

For the first five years, only Mongolian and U.S. troops participated in the exercise. The joint drills have expanded since then to include many other countries. About 450 troops from some 20 nations, including Germany, India, Bangladesh and Cambodia, are to take part in this year's exercise.

During Khan Quest, instructors, who have experience in peacekeeping operations overseas, lead practical lessons in realistic conditions. Troops also introduce their weapons and military vehicles to each other. Korea has actively participated in peacekeeping operations overseas. Currently, about 350 soldiers are stationed in Lebanon, while a 300-strong naval unit is conducting an anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia.

In June, the government announced a plan to establish a 3,000-strong standby peacekeeping unit that can be rapidly deployed to troubled regions.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=30493

---------- Post added at 12:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------

S. Korean Air Force Pilots to Wear Custom-Made Gloves

Air Force pilots will wear custom-made flight gloves beginning next year, the service said. A research institute at Konkuk University in Seoul has developed the high-tech leather gloves, which are the first of their kind, it said in a news release.

The gloves will be tailored to precisely fit the hands of each pilot. A ``hand scanner'' will measure the length, width and other characteristics of each pilot's fingers and create a relevant database, the release said.The data will be transferred to manufacturers.

``The new gloves are designed to help resolve the discomfort of pilots operating aircraft worth of tens of billions of won,'' said Lt. Col. Huh Nam-hee, chief of the Air Force's logistics support team. ``The gloves will also help improve pilots' aircraft operational skills to a great extent.''

Currently, only eight different sizes of gloves are available, he said. The Air Force plans to create a database of all of its pilots' hand scans by September, the officer added.

ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009

---------- Post added at 12:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------

South Korea May Export Self-Propelled Guns to Australia


Chances remain high for Samsung Techwin, teamed with Raytheon of the United States, to win a $450 million deal to provide the Australian army with 155mm self-propelled artillery systems, procurement officials here said. The expectation comes after a consortium led by a German firm, according to an official, failed to participate in final tender negotiations with the Australian government.

Teamed with BAE Systems Australia, the German firm Krauss-Maffei Wegmann was seeking to supply its PZH-2000 guns to the Australian army, which wants to acquire about 18 self-propelled and towed guns. The Samsung-Raytheon team is offering the AS-9 gun, a modified version of the K-9 weapon.

``We're told that the German firm has failed to submit additional documents required by the Australian government,'' an official of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said, asking not to be named. ``We don't think the German firm will drop out of the competition, but it's true that our team has got the upper hand in negotiations.''

A final bidder is expected to be announced as early as September, he said. Earlier, reports said the Germany firm raised problems with intellectual property as well as a requirement for more equitable risk-sharing in its decision not to take part in negotiations. Developed jointly with the state-funded Agency for Defense Development, the K-9 is an indigenous all-welded steel armor construction rated to withstand impact by 14.5-mm armor piercing shells and 152- mm shell fragments.

It carries a 155 mm/52 caliber gun with a maximum firing range of 40 kilometers. State-of-the-art mobility subsystems include a 1,000-horsepower engine and a hydropneumatic suspension unit, a requirement for Korea's rugged mountainous terrain.



ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009


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## Mig-29

South Korea to Sell Multiple Rocket Launchers to Jordan


South Korea's Hanhwa Corporation will export about 20 lightweight 70mm multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) to Jordan, according to officials at the company and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). A contract will be signed in August, they said.

Under the proposed contract, Hanwha will help Jordan develop two prototypes of the mid-sized rocket launcher with technology transfer and begin production after two years of trials. ``Hanwha will transfer key MLRS technologies regarding a launch pad, fire-and-control system and navigation equipment to Jordan under the deal," said a DAPA official, who declined to comment on the exact scale of the deal.

Hanwha is also negotiating with Libya on the export of the 70mm MLRS, he added. Designed for firepower support for infantry regiments, it has a range of 8 kilometers and can fire up to 40 rockets within 10 minutes.

The company developed the system in 2000. It has already undergone trials with the South Korean Army, but has yet to be deployed in the field. Hanwha has already produced and deployed 130mm (36-round) MLRS with the Army since the early 1980s.

In April, DAPA approved a plan to develop an indigenous 65-kilometer-range 230mm MLRS by 2013 to replace the 130mm MLRS fleet with a range of 36 kilometers and improve the Army's counter-artillery capability against North Korea. Hanwha will take charge of system integration and build guided and non-guided rockets, while Doosan DST will build the launch pad and vehicle, the agency said.

ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009


----------



## luoshan

*South Korea Launching a Rocket of Its Own Into Space*



> HONG KONG  South Korea was set to launch a satellite from its own territory on Wednesday, a first for the country, while North Korea said it hoped the international community would apply the same sanctions against Seoul that followed the Norths firing of a rocket in April.
> 
> Tensions on the Korean peninsula have eased in recent days, with the Norths release of two detained American journalists and its declared intention to reopen its highly militarized border to tourists and business ventures with the South.
> 
> But the South Korean launching seemed likely to anger the North, which drew international scorn  and United Nations sanctions  for the launching of what it said was a communications satellite aboard a powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, in violation of previous United Nations strictures. The North claimed the satellite went into orbit, but American officials said the rocket and its payload merely dropped into the ocean.
> 
> The official North Korean news agency, in a statement released via Twitter, said the North will closely watch to see if the South Korean launching draws similar denunciations and sanctions from the Security Council.
> 
> In Washington, the State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly, said the South Korean space program has been developed in a very open and transparent way under codified international agreements. This is in stark contrast, Mr. Kelly said, to the example set by North Korea, which has not abided by its international agreements.
> 
> Earlier this week, the North strongly objected to military exercises currently being conducted by South Korea and United States forces, calling them warmongers engaging in what are obviously maneuvers for a war of aggression against the North.
> 
> The debut South Korean launching was set for 5 p.m. from the Naro Space Center, in southeastern Korea, and television footage from the site showed the gleaming white rocket being readied on its launch pad at midday. The center was developed with Russian assistance, and the main stage of the rocket to be used on Wednesday is Russian-made. The satellite itself, South Korean aerospace officials said, was domestically built.
> 
> Since the early 1990s, South Korea has launched 11 satellites, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. All those launchings have been from overseas sites.
> 
> A successful liftoff could officially herald the countrys entry into the space exploration arena, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the space program aimed to fully build its own rockets by 2018 and reach the moon by 2025.


----------



## luoshan

*S Korea's space rocket launch suspended, launch unlikely Wednesday*



> SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's rocket launch was suspended 7 minutes and 56 seconds before its scheduled time, local media reported Wednesday.
> The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said mission controllers decided to suspend the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), which was scheduled at local time 05:00 p.m. (0800 GMT).
> 
> "There was a problem in the automatic launch sequence that caused the launch to be called off," said KARI head Lee Joo-jin, without clarifying the exact reason of the stoppage.
> 
> He did not further go into details to identify whether the launch was a success or a failure.
> 
> He said that no launch will take place within the day and that a new date will be set after consultation with experts from Russia, which made the first stage rocket.
> 
> According to local media, fuel injected into the rocket has been dumped, while the launch pad has been erected, which together is hinting that the blast was unlikely to take place on Wednesday.
> 
> Release of already-injected fuel makes it impossible to launch the rocket within the day, only enabling a next blastoff at least 72 hours later, the media said.
> 
> The delay is the seventh time since the project started in 2002 under a cooperative arrangement with Russia.


----------



## Mig-29

Glitch forces SKorea to abort rocket launch


By HYUNG-JIN KIM

A technical glitch forced South Korea to abort liftoff of its first rocket into space Wednesday, delaying a launch that threatened to heat up tensions with rival North Korea even as they joined in mourning the death of an ex-president who pushed tirelessly for reconciliation. Both Koreas are eager to develop their space programs, and had aimed to launch satellites into space this year. Pyongyang beat Seoul to it with the April liftoff of a three-stage rocket it claimed sent a communications satellite into orbit, although experts doubt it really succeeded. Washington, Tokyo and others called it a disguised a test of its long-range missile technology since the same rocket can be used to fire off a missile. The U.N. Security Council condemned the launch, saying it was a violation of resolutions banning the North from ballistic missile-related activity.

The South's planned launch could prove a setback to recent signs of easing tensions, marked by a meeting this month between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il with former President Bill Clinton, and the releases of two American journalists and a South Korean technician from the North's custody. The North this week also agreed to resume some joint tourism and industry projects with the South, and on Wednesday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson met with two North Korean diplomats, which he described it as a "hopeful sign" of improving relations with the reclusive nation. Yet as South Korea geared up to put its new rocket on the launchpad, North Korea warned that it would be "watching closely" for the international response to Seoul's launch.

"Their reaction and attitude towards South Korea's satellite launch will once again clearly prove whether the principle of equality exists or has collapsed," a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry told North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. South Korea's launch was set for Wednesday from the Naro Space Center off the southern coast, but was abruptly aborted less than eight minutes before liftoff, senior Science Ministry official Lee Sang-mok said. The two-stage rocket, called the Naro and built with Russian help, would have been South Korea's first satellite launch from its own territory.

South Korean and Russian scientists were investigating the malfunction that forced officials to stop the launch, and Russian scientists believed another attempt could take place within days, Lee said. He said trouble with a high-pressure tank that helps operate valves in the launch vehicle may have been the problem. Despite the North's objections, U.S. and South Korean officials say the two rocket launches cannot be compared, noting that South Korea has carried out the process transparently, and for peaceful purposes, while the North has not abided by its international commitments.

The two Koreas remain in a state of war since their conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953. Relations have been tense since President Lee Myung-bak took office in Seoul in February 2008, abandoning late ex-President Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine Policy" of encouraging reconciliation with aid. This week, North Korea put its army on "special alert" as the U.S. and South Korea held joint military exercises in the South. Washington and Seoul say the annual computer-simulated war games, which began Monday, are purely defensive. But North Korea's Foreign Ministry warned they were "aggravating" tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"Lurking behind them is a dangerous scheme for aggression to mount a pre-emptive nuclear attack," the ministry said in a statement carried by KCNA. Yet in the latest sign of a thaw, two North Korean diplomats from the country's U.N. mission met with Richardson, who was U.N. ambassador during Clinton's administration and as a congressman in the 1990s went to North Korea twice to secure the release of detained Americans. Richardson declined to comment on the substance of Wednesday's talks or say why the North Koreans had requested the meeting with him.

Also, Kim Jong-Il sent condolences to the family of former leader of the South, Kim Dae-jung, who died Tuesday at age 85 after a lifetime of fighting for democracy and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula. The two leaders met in a historic summit in 2000  the first between the two Koreas. "The feats he performed to achieve national reconciliation and realize the desire for reunification will remain long with the nation," KCNA quoted the North Korean leader as saying.

North Korean officials have conveyed their wish to send a delegation to pay their respects to Kim, lawmaker Park Jie-won, a former aide to Kim Dae-Jung, said Wednesday. Pyongyang has only ever dispatched a condolence delegation for one other South Korean: the industrialist Chung Ju-yung, founder of the Hyundai Group, which funded the first inter-Korean joint projects. The South Korean government was discussing whether to allow the North's delegation to visit, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said. Thousands lined up in Seoul to lay white chrysanthemums before a portrait of the longtime dissident-turned-president, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his reconciliation efforts. "It feels as if my heart is being torn," Yang Young-sim, a 58-year-old housewife, said between sobs. "He is a man who has devoted his entire life to Korea's democracy." North Koreans in Pyongyang were also mourning Kim, according to the Choson Sinbo, a Tokyo-based newspaper viewed as a mouthpiece for the North Korean government.

ASIAN DEFENCE: Glitch forces SKorea to abort rocket launch


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## Mig-29

Camp Humphreys battalion swaps Apaches for upgraded models


The Army&#8217;s only Apache attack helicopter unit in South Korea will soon trade in its entire fleet for a new and more lethal model. The 4th Battalion (Attack), 2nd Aviation Regiment at Camp Humphreys will make the swap a few aircraft at a time, starting in September.The battalion&#8217;s 24 AH-64D Apache Longbows are the Block 1, Version 6 variant. They&#8217;ll be exchanged for the newest model &#8212; the Block 2, Version 11.

&#8220;It&#8217;s a one-for-one exchange,&#8221; said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Craig D. Yerdon, the battalion&#8217;s standardization instructor pilot. &#8220;By the end of the year, all of our aircraft will be traded in.&#8221; Boeing produces the Apache, a two-seater attack helicopter, at a factory in Mesa, Ariz., Yerdon said. The new Apaches will be airlifted from Fort Hood, Texas, to Osan Air Base aboard Air Force C-17 Globemaster transports, he said. A C-17 can carry three Apaches.

Six will be transported to Osan each month; once they&#8217;re&#65279; unloaded, six older Apaches will be loaded and carried to the U.S. The new helos will be reassembled, inspected and then flown to Humphreys. Yerdon said battalion pilots welcome the newest Apache model, which has several key improvements. One is the improved cockpit map display that will allow pilots to use digital map images to see terrain and other topographical features.

The Block 1s provide only &#8220;a stick map depiction&#8221; of their planned route, on a blank background. To see what the surrounding terrain looks like at a given spot, pilots have to leaf through a thick book of hard-copy maps.&#8220;So it drastically increases pilot situational awareness, reduces our workload &#8230; so he&#8217;s not scrambling &#8230; through that map book&#8221; in the cockpit, Yerdon said.

Another improvement is the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight, or M-TADS, a canister-like device mounted at the Apache&#8217;s front. It contains a forward looking infrared &#8212; or FLIR &#8212; with improved resolution and acuity to allow pilots to pick up targets more clearly at longer distances on their display screens. The new FLIR in the M-TADS can also help pilots see terrain features and other objects better and thus fly more safely at night, Yerdon said.&#8220;We will increase both safety &#8212; flying, because we can identify hazards and obstacles better &#8212; but will also increase lethality because we can look further and see the enemy further away than we can currently,&#8221; Yerdon said.

ASIAN DEFENCE: August 2009


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## Mig-29

Camp Humphreys battalion swaps Apaches for upgraded models

The Army&#8217;s only Apache attack helicopter unit in South Korea will soon trade in its entire fleet for a new and more lethal model. The 4th Battalion (Attack), 2nd Aviation Regiment at Camp Humphreys will make the swap a few aircraft at a time, starting in September.The battalion&#8217;s 24 AH-64D Apache Longbows are the Block 1, Version 6 variant. They&#8217;ll be exchanged for the newest model &#8212; the Block 2, Version 11.

&#8220;It&#8217;s a one-for-one exchange,&#8221; said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Craig D. Yerdon, the battalion&#8217;s standardization instructor pilot. &#8220;By the end of the year, all of our aircraft will be traded in.&#8221; Boeing produces the Apache, a two-seater attack helicopter, at a factory in Mesa, Ariz., Yerdon said. The new Apaches will be airlifted from Fort Hood, Texas, to Osan Air Base aboard Air Force C-17 Globemaster transports, he said. A C-17 can carry three Apaches.

Six will be transported to Osan each month; once they&#8217;re&#65279; unloaded, six older Apaches will be loaded and carried to the U.S. The new helos will be reassembled, inspected and then flown to Humphreys. Yerdon said battalion pilots welcome the newest Apache model, which has several key improvements. One is the improved cockpit map display that will allow pilots to use digital map images to see terrain and other topographical features.

The Block 1s provide only &#8220;a stick map depiction&#8221; of their planned route, on a blank background. To see what the surrounding terrain looks like at a given spot, pilots have to leaf through a thick book of hard-copy maps.&#8220;So it drastically increases pilot situational awareness, reduces our workload &#8230; so he&#8217;s not scrambling &#8230; through that map book&#8221; in the cockpit, Yerdon said.

Another improvement is the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight, or M-TADS, a canister-like device mounted at the Apache&#8217;s front. It contains a forward looking infrared &#8212; or FLIR &#8212; with improved resolution and acuity to allow pilots to pick up targets more clearly at longer distances on their display screens. The new FLIR in the M-TADS can also help pilots see terrain features and other objects better and thus fly more safely at night, Yerdon said.&#8220;We will increase both safety &#8212; flying, because we can identify hazards and obstacles better &#8212; but will also increase lethality because we can look further and see the enemy further away than we can currently,&#8221; Yerdon said.

ASIAN DEFENCE: Camp Humphreys battalion swaps Apaches for upgraded models


----------



## Mig-29

South Korea toys with four options to build indigenous attack helicopter

An attack derivative of the Surion utility helicopter is shaping up as a likely project to sustain Korea Aerospace Industries hard-won aeronautics development skills. As the engineering effort on the Surion winds down, other projects that could keep the companys engineers busy include a civil aircraft, such as the regional jet revealed last year, and the KFX fighter.

The need for development work is clearly driving the push for a home-grown attack helicopter, since foreign producers already offer advanced models whose price and performance could be difficult for Korea Aerospace, a new arrival in the rotary-wing business, to improve on. The South Korean government and industry are considering four alternative schemes under the Korean Attack Helicopter program to fill the requirement for 274 aircraft to replace about 70 Bell AH-1Ss and 270 Hughes 500s from 2018:

A simple addition of stub wings and weapons to the Surion. With 87% commonality with the Surion, development of this model would take four years and cost 200 billion won ($160 million), Korea Aerospace says. The unit price would be 21 billion won. A new stepped cockpit grafted on to the Surion cabin, along with the wings and weapon systems, with 73% commonality. Development time and cost would rise to five years and 700 billion won, and unit cost to 23.1 billion won.

A new body, including cockpit, but otherwise retaining as much as possible from the Surion, notably the power train, and offering 63% commonality. This aircraft would need six years and up to 1 trillion won for development and would cost 24.8 billion won per unit.

An attack helicopter unrelated to the Surion. This could be an adaptation of a foreign design.

None of these concepts will be free from criticism.

The first two seem to be highly compromised in the quest for commonality, since the engines would have to haul around the mass of a transport helicopter body that would offer little advantage in an attack mission while offering a larger, more sluggish target.


The second option is visually similar to the 12-ton Mil Mi-24 assault and attack helicopter, but the South Korean aircraft would not act in such a role, striking from the air and landing infantry to assault from the ground. A scale model shows that the design has no large doors for infantry, and that the cabin could be obstructed by carry-through structure of the mid-mounted wings.

All three proposed derivatives may be open to the charge they are bigger than necessary, a result of the choice of the power train from the 8.7-metric-ton Surion.

The Korean Attack Helicopter program has been aimed at developing a light- to medium-size aircraft, akin to the 6-ton Eurocopter Tiger. South Koreas AH-1s have a 4.5-ton maximum weight.

But the rating of the Surions two General Electric T700-GE-701K turboshaftseach at 1,383 kw. (1,854 hp.) for 10 min.would put an attack derivative in the same class as the Boeing AH-64 Apache, which has a design mission gross weight of 8 tons and an overload ferry-mission weight of 10.4 tons.

The South Korean armed forces have sought Apaches, but only 36. That effort may be dropped in favor of the Korean Attack Helicopter.

If the proposal for an aircraft unrelated to the Surion produced an all-new design, it would face criticism as a costly reinvention of what was already available. A new helicopter would, however, offer to greatly extend the rotary-wing skills that Korea Aerospace has learned from developing Surion with help from Eurocopter (AW&ST Aug. 10, p. 34).

Any of the three derivative designs would add to the considerable production run of components for the 245 Surions that the armed forces and government have said are required. A derivative attack helicopter would result in South Korea building 519 related helicopters.

Foreign support for attack helicopter development would also be likely, with Eurocopter well placed for the work.

The Surion has been developed under the Korean Utility Helicopter program, the survivor of the former Korean Multirole Helicopter program, which also encompassed an attack helicopter until that element was dropped in January 2005 to reduce development risks.

The attack derivatives of the Surion therefore revive the original proposal for two helicopter types under a single broad program.

One military official tells the Yonhap news agency that development must begin next year for entry into service by 2018. The national security council directed in 2005 that no decision on the attack helicopter be taken before an assessment of the Surion, now due by October 2010. The finance ministry is accordingly refusing to release the first 3 billion won of development funding for the attack helicopter until then.

ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korea toys with four options to build indigenous attack helicopter


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## Mig-29

South Korean rocket fails to reach full orbit

South Korea's space program suffered a blow Tuesday after a satellite launched from its first space rocket failed to reach proper orbit, a science official said.

"All aspects of the launch were normal, but the satellite exceeded its planned orbit and reached an altitude of 360 kilometers," said Ahn Byung-man, the minister of science and technology. The satellite should have separated at about 302 kilometers, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The cause of the failure was not immediately known. Korean experts were working with Russian scientists, who provided the technology for launch, to determine the reason, Ahn said.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 lifted off from the Naro Space Center on the southern coast about 5 p.m. (4 a.m. ET) Tuesday.

A series of delays had kept the rocket and its satellite payload earthbound for nearly four years, including a technical glitch that halted last week's countdown less than eight minutes before blastoff.

South Korea spent 502 billion won (US $402 million) on the rocket, which is part of an ambitious plan to jump-start the country's space program, Yonhap reported.


Officials plan another rocket launch in April. The long-term goal is to create an unmanned space probe that can reach the moon by 2025, the agency reported.

The rocket was originally scheduled to be launched in late 2005, before being pushed back to October 2007 and then 2008 due to "administrative and diplomatic reasons," Yonhap reported.

ASIAN DEFENCE: South Korean rocket fails to reach full orbit


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## Mig-29

Korea National Police Agency Order An AW119Ke


AgustaWestland and UI International (UII) are pleased to announce they have been awarded a contract by the Korean Public Procurement Services to supply the Korea National Police Agency (KNPA) with one AW119Ke law enforcement helicopter as part of an on-going programme to modernise the Police helicopter fleet. This is the first AW119Ke to be purchased by the Korean Government and the third law enforcement helicopter sold into the Korean market. It will join two KNPA AW109 helicopters that have been in service for a number of years. The AW119 Koala enhanced is a spacious 8 seat single engine helicopter developed to enhance safety and provide high productivity and performance at a competitive price. The large unobstructed cabin permits rapid re-configuration for a variety of missions such as utility, passenger transport, emergency medical services and the very popular law enforcement role. The high power margins deliver outstanding performance that makes the AW119Ke the most cost effective helicopter in its class.



AgustaWestland and United Industries International believe that this latest addition to the KNPA fleet of law enforcement helicopters will represent a step up in capability for the Korean Law Enforcement service in the country. To support the role the helicopter will be equipped with a powerful search light and cargo hook for utility operations. UI Helicopter (UIH), a subsidiary of the UI Group has established a fully approved AgustaWestland Customer Support Facility in Korea to provide local support to the KNPA.

Earlier this year the first AW139 helicopter was delivered to the Gangwon Fire Fighting Department marking the first delivery into Korea of this popular new generation medium twin engine helicopter. Three more AW139 helicopters are scheduled to be delivered into Korea before the end of this year and AgustaWestland has high hopes that the Korean market will provide an excellent opportunity for the AW139 and other AgustaWestland products.

ASIAN DEFENCE: September 2009


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## Mig-29

South Korea To Develop Airburst Machine Gun


By JUNG SUNG-KI
South Korea plans to develop an indigenous machine gun system that can fire air-bursting munitions with laser-target acquisition and opto-electronic fire control, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced. The new machine gun will be able to penetrate light armored vehicles, it said in a news release. A total of 27.3 trillion won ($22 million) will be spent over the next few years for research and development of the 2,000-meter-range machine gun, to be initially deployed by 2015, it said.

The agency has selected S&T Daewoo as the preferred bidder for systems integration and gun development, EO System for fire control development, and Hanwha Corp. for munitions, according to the release. Contracts will be made by September, it added. South Korea already has developed an airburst rifle. The DAPA announced in April that it would soon start producing the K11 rifle that can fire both standard 5.56mm NATO-compatible ammunition and a 20mm airburst round, selected by a single trigger.

The multipurpose rifle, developed by the state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD), is modeled on the U.S. XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon, whose development was canceled in 2004. The weapon consists of a semi-automatic 20mm smart grenade launcher, an underslung assault carbine firing a standard 5.56mm NATO round, and a top-mounted computer-assisted sighting system with integrated laser rangefinder, and thermal infrared night vision capabilities, according to ADD officials. Under a self-detonation system, the 20mm round from the rifle can trace its target and explode three to four meters above it, and it is also capable of penetrating walls of buildings, they said. 

ASIAN DEFENCE: September 2009


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## WillUSDemiseBePeaceful?

May I know why is this topic a stickie?


----------



## Tiger Awan

South Korea has decided to delay its F-X fighter jet acquisition by a year due to budget constraints.

The third-phase acquisition of 40 to 60 F-X advanced stealth aircraft was originally scheduled to start in 2011, with a final contract in 2012, according to the Korea Times.

The first two stages obtained 60 F-15K aircraft, which were built by Boeing.

The delay will lead to the signing of a contract in 2013 and delivery of aircraft will start after 2016.

The move has disappointed the air force since it had previously planned to replace its 250 McDonnell Douglas F-4Es and Northrop F-5 E/F with the new F-X fighter jet.

The country had planned to indigenously develop 200 KF-X fighters, similar to the US F-16, in cooperation with foreign partners.

South Korea to Delay Fighter Jet Acquisition - Air Force Technology


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## DV RULES

WillUSDemiseBePeaceful? said:


> May I know why is this topic a stickie?




Same question from my side, may be somebody will explain.


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## SpArK

*S Korea's spy plane crashes; pilots killed​*

Posted On: Nov 13, 2010 





_An unrelated poto of a RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft_





SEOUL (AP): A spy plane crashed Friday during routine training and its two pilots were killed in the second military accident to strike South Korea while it hosted the summit of the Group of 20 major economies, an air force official said.

South Korea was on heightened alert for possible provocations by communist neighbour North Korea during the two-day G-20 summit, but there was no indication of the North's involvement in either the plane accident or the sinking Thursday of a 150-ton naval vessel.

The RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft hit a mountain in Imsil, 300 kilometers south of Seoul, about 40 minutes after taking off from a base in Suwon, just south of Seoul, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing internal policy.

The pilots' bodies were found at the mountain, said the official, adding no civilians were hurt on the ground.

The air force temporarily grounded all aircraft except planes needed for essential patrol missions and was investigating the cause of the crash, the official said.

South Korea operates about 20 second hand RF-4C spy planes purchased from the US, according to South Korea's air force. The crash came a day after a South Korean navy ship sank after colliding with a larger fishing boat in waters northwest of the southern resort island of Jeju.

The G-20 summit, which wrapped up Friday in Seoul, placed a spotlight on security because North Korea has a history of acting provocatively when world attention is focused on South Korea.


S Korea's spy plane crashes; pilots killed :: Brahmand.com


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## sathya

ship was torpedoed back then
today north korea shelled south korea
war may be breaking out soon
north korea is pushing for war


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## sathya

S. Korea, U.S. start naval drills near N. Korean border
Topic: North Korea attacks South Korean island

"Participating units will conduct live-fire shooting and bombing drills"
04:13 28/11/2010&#169; REUTERS/ Jo Yong-HakRelated News
Russian, Chinese foreign ministers discuss Korean conflict
Presidential aide named South Korea's new defense minister
South Korean defense minister resigns over North's artillery attack
Admiral Mike Mullen links N. Korea's attack to leadership succession
China urges both Koreas to talk
Another two victims of N. Korea attack found dead on S. Korean island
Multimedia
South Korean island and its residents a day after artillery attack
South Korea&#8217;s military arsenal
North Korea launches attack on South Korean island

South Korea and the United States began on Sunday large-scale joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea just days after North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean island that killed four people, the Yonhap news agency said.

A U.S. naval task force led by nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington has joined several South Korean destroyers, frigates, support ships and anti-submarine aircraft for four days of military drills in waters about 125 km (77 miles) south of the border between the two Koreas.

"Participating units will conduct live-fire shooting and bombing drills," Yonhap quoted a South Korean military official as saying.

Washington and Seoul claim these are defensive drills aimed at deterring North Korea from launching further attacks across its disputed maritime border with South Korea, while Pyongyang has condemned the exercises as a provocation and threatened they could lead to a war.

North Korea opened artillery fire on the South's Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea Tuesday, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians. Sixteen others were injured, along with three civilians. The South retaliated and warned of further strikes. The North later accused South Korea of attacking first.

Western powers condemned the attack and warned against a further escalation. Russia called on both Koreas to refrain from the use of force.

North and South Korea remain technically at war, since no peace treaty was signed following the Korean War in 1953. The Demilitarized Zone between the countries is the most heavily armed border in the world.



MOSCOW, November 28 (RIA Novosti)


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## sathya

U.S., South Korea Exercises Start; China Proposes Talks
By KIM JAE-HWAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE 
Published: 28 Nov 2010 09:06 YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea - The United States and South Korean navies staged a potent show of force against North Korea on Nov. 28, as China called for emergency talks about the crisis on the divided peninsula.



China, the isolated North's sole major ally, proposed "emergency consultations" in Beijing early next month among chief envoys to the stalled six-nation talks on the North's nuclear disarmament.

Its top envoy on North Korea, Wu Dawei, speaking in Beijing, stressed the proposal did not constitute a formal resumption of the negotiations. But he said he hoped they would lead to such a resumption soon.

South Korea, which is pressing Beijing to be more even-handed in the standoff, reacted cautiously as did Japan. The United States and Russia are the other members of the talks along with the North itself.

Any such meeting "should be considered very carefully" given the North's disclosure of a uranium enrichment program and nuclear reactor construction, and its attack on the island, a Seoul foreign ministry statement said.

The ministry said the North must show seriousness about denuclearization through "tangible actions."

Japan said it would deal with China's proposal cautiously while cooperating with South Korea and the United States.

China has not joined other world powers in criticizing the North's attack, and many South Korean newspapers have angrily urged it to get off the fence.

President Lee Myung-Bak, in a meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, urged China to take "a fairer and more responsible stance in its relations with the two Koreas," the presidential office said.

Lee added that the South "has tolerated the North's constant provocations since the Korean War but would respond strongly if the North makes a additional provocation." 

His ruling party said now was not the time to consider six-party talks.

The defense ministry urged hundreds of journalists to leave Yeonpyeong island, saying the North may use the war games being held far to the south as the pretext for a new attack on it.

The drill, spearheaded by the massive U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington, aims to send a message of deterrence to the North. But the presence of a U.S. carrier in what China sees as its backyard has sparked criticism from Beijing.

The exercise, involving at least 11 ships, is one of a series announced in May, after a Seoul-led multinational investigation found overwhelming evidence that a North Korean torpedo had sunk a South Korean warship in March.

That sinking cost 46 lives. But North Korea's bombardment of a non-military area, which killed two civilians and two South Korean Marines and injured 18 people, was the first shelling of a civilian area in the South since the war.

Pyongyang said it was retaliating for a South Korean firing drill in what it regards as its own waters around the contested border. It has expressed regret at the civilian deaths but said the South used them as human shields.

The North "will deal a merciless military counter-attack at any provocative act of intruding into its territorial waters in the future, too," ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Sunday.

"A club is the best thing for a mad dog," Pyongyang's official news agency said of the U.S.-South Korean naval drill, echoing the Korean proverb employed by a South Korean newspaper about the North's regime.

"Aggressors will feel the taste of it. ... We are ready to respond even to something stronger than anti-submarine ships."

Yonhap news agency, quoting a government source, said the North had deployed surface-to-air missiles near the border. The defense ministry declined to comment.

Lee, who will make a televised speech on the crisis at 10:00 a.m. local time Nov. 29 (0100 GMT), has come under pressure to take a tougher line after his military's counter-fire last week was seen as feeble.

The defense minister quit Nov. 25 to take responsibility.

The United States insists that the drill is defensive in nature and was planned long before the attack, but says it is intended to send a message of deterrence to the North.

It is led by George Washington, which can carry about 75 aircraft on its 4.5 acre (1.8 hectare) flight deck and has a crew of 5,500.

The drill will also involve a high-flying US joint surveillance and target attack system (JSTARS) surveillance aircraft to monitor the North's military moves, Yonhap reported.


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## Mig-29

DV RULES said:


> Same question from my side, may be somebody will explain.



Because I posted so many topics related to south Korean defense it was made a stikie.


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## neverbee

South Korea Rescues Crew and Ship From Pirates

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/w...l=1&adxnnlx=1296766862-d1sKnQjep3/+N6l09tadaw


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## SpArK

South Korean Navy to launch new frigate - Brahmand.com


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## bigest

It is universally acknowledged that South korea has no decision-making power.US controls the south korea's military.


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## Zabaniyah

bigest said:


> It is universally acknowledged that South korea has no decision-making power.US controls the south korea's military.


 
They use many Russian-made equipment.


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## monitor

*AIMING FOR THE STARS - SOUTH KOREA&#8217;S AEROSPACE INDUSTRY *
Gordon Arthur / Hong Kong


With its T-50 Golden Eagle, South Korea joined a select club of nations to have successfully developed a supersonic aircraft. Quite apart from breaking the sound barrier, South Korea is hoping to also break into new export markets with its advanced jet trainer. This article looks at the growing maturity of the Republic of Korea&#8217;s (ROK) aerospace industry, with a particular emphasis on specific platforms it is pinning its domestic and international hopes on. The remarkable growth of South Korea&#8217;s aerospace industry can be observed in the statistic that the 7,800 workers employed in this field in 2007 had burgeoned to 10,000+ just three years later.

Currently standing at number 16 in international aerospace production rankings, South Korea has set lofty goals for itself. Being ranked globally at number seven by 2020 is its chief ambition! This would involve multiplying aerospace production from the US$2 billion it achieved in 2009 to US$20 billion by 2020. Fully half this value is expected to stem from exports. Four task forces comprising civilian, government and military experts have been created to action these targets. The four groupings are a regional aircraft team; helicopter team; next-generation fighter team; and a maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) team. The MRO side will build upon existing service bases at Incheon and Cheongju International Airports.

Integral to this strategic 2020 plan are four major and far-reaching programmes: (1) utility military helicopter; (2) light/mid-weight attack helicopter; (3) cutting-edge next-generation fighter; and (4) regional 90-seat commercial jet. Midterm and long-term goals are elaborated in the Aerospace Industry Primary Plan (2010-2019) released in January 2010. Efforts are being made to create aerospace industry clusters in the specialist areas of aircraft production, research and development (R&D) and MRO. Aircraft production will focus on the southern Jinju/Sacheon area.

The Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA), an independent body established in 2006, oversees military procurement and sales at home and abroad. ROK defence exports surpassed the USD$1 billion mark for the first time in 2008, and rose to US$1.19 billion last year. The government hopes to break into the ranks of the top ten defence exporting countries, and to achieve annual sales of US$4 billion by the end of this decade. Aircraft obviously represent a significant percentage of these goals, and other aspirant nations could learn much from the deliberate yet progressive path that Seoul has charted.

Most prominent by far in these goals is Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Limited, an enterprise formed at the behest of the ROK government on 1 October 1999. It emerged from a joint aerospace venture of Samsung, Daewoo and Hyundai that ran into difficulties after the 1997 financial crisis. KAI is South Korea&#8217;s major player in terms of aeronautic design and production, although Korean Air and other companies make valuable contributions in specialised areas. By 2006, KAI had paid off most of its outstanding debts, and in 2010 it held assets worth USD$1.32 billion and employed 2,950 workers. Approximately 40% of its income is derived from exports, while 63% of production is for the military. In 2009 the government signalled its intention to promote privatisation of KAI by selling its 30.5% stake in the company. KAI eventually floated on the stock exchange on 30 June 2011, offering foreign entities the opportunity to establish a strategic foothold on the Korean peninsular .

KAI produced the main wings and forward fuselages for Singapore&#8217;s F-15 fighters, as well as manufacturing AH-64D Apache composite fuselages for Boeing since 2004. Indeed Boeing awarded KAI the title of &#8220;Supplier of the Year&#8221; in 2010. KAI opened its Daejeon R&D Centre last year with the aim of strengthening competencies for future projects.
Barrier-breaking aircraft


KAI commenced development of the indigenous KT-1 Woongbi basic trainer in 1988, and 85 were delivered to the ROK Air Force (ROKAF) from 2000-02. South Korea&#8217;s initial aerospace success in the export market occurred when Indonesia signed up for seven KT-1B aircraft in 2003. The Indonesian Air Force subsequently ordered five more in December 2008, these featuring customised avionics and a hybrid cockpit arrangement. Further success was scored in August 2007 when Turkey purchased 40 KT-1T trainers to replace its T-37C aircraft. A KT-1T rollout ceremony took place on 30 October 2009, and the first five deliveries were completed by December last year. These export aircraft have a pressurised glass cockpit, modified navigation system, and hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS).

However, KAI had its sights set much higher when it began designing the supersonic T-50 Golden Eagle. This advanced trainer was jointly developed with American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. An initial ROKAF production order was placed in December 2003 and a follow-on contract was signed in October 2006. After entering service in 2007, the T-50 had reached full operational capability by May last year. With the induction of 50 aircraft and associated Ground-Based Training Facility (GBTF), the ROKAF now possesses a complete high-level training capability. The ROKAF claims the T-50 has reduced training time and costs by 25% and 30% respectively, as well as improving pilot skills by 40%.

The T-50 is just the first step in KAI&#8217;s supersonic aircraft programme, with the ongoing phase focusing on the twin-seat TA-50 lead-in flight trainer (LIFT). The armed TA-50 has dual use as a trainer or light-attack aircraft capable of carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-65 Maverick missiles in addition to its integral General Dynamics 20mm A-50 cannon. The TA-50 rolled out at a ceremony on 24 January 2011, and the first squadron is now believed to be operational.

Development has not ended there either, since the ultimate variant is the dedicated attack version known as the FA-50. Intended to replace the ROKAF&#8217;s elderly inventory of F-4 and F-5 aircraft, this single-seat design will carry an Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) EL/M-2032 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. One of the greatest difficulties with the FA-50 was accommodating the Elta radar, requiring KAI to reengineer the aircraft to provide more space, as well as Elta to scale down the radar unit&#8217;s size. The FA-50 will carry weapons such as the AIM-120 missile and JDAM, plus electronic countermeasure and targeting pods. It will have larger fuel tanks, upgraded avionics, a tactical data-link and GPS/inertial navigation system (INS) to give day/night interoperability with the KF-16. A maiden one-hour flight occurred on 4 May this year, and the ROKAF has a requirement for 60 FA-50s by 2013. This programme could eventually stretch to 150 fighters in the future.

The Golden Eagle&#8217;s manufacturer has been targeting significant export sales right from the outset. It was a strong contender in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore competitions, but on both occasions it lost out to the Aermacchi M-346 Master . However, the T-50 tasted its first success on 25 May 2011 when the Indonesian Air Force ordered 16 T-50I aircraft in a US$400 million deal to replace its BAE Hawk 53 aircraft. This sale meant South Korea is just the sixth nation in the world to export a supersonic jet. All 16 T-50I aircraft are to be delivered by the end of 2013. The order has buoyed the T-50 family&#8217;s chances for competitions in countries such as Israel, the Philippines, Poland, Taiwan and the USA. There were rumours South Korea was also going to exchange T-50 aircraft in return for Iraqi oil. The US Air Force (USAF) is looking for a large number of aircraft for its T-X Advanced Trainer Replacement programme. There is even speculation that South Korea will attempt to trade T-50s for F-35s from the USA.

KAI will play a pivotal role in the advanced KF-X fighter programme, with the ultimate aim of incorporating such advanced technologies as stealth, thrust vectoring, AESA radar and long-range missiles. Because the KF-X has already been covered in the previous article, details are not repeated here. KAI is attempting to diversify its product line so that it does not rely solely on the military sector too. It already manufactures components for Boeing and Airbus commercial jets, plus it has developed the KC-100 piston-engine aircraft for the leisure market. This four-passenger design is undergoing certification by the Korean Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Nicknamed Naraon, production of the 1,859km-range aircraft could commence in 2014.

As well as KAI, other manufacturers are heavily involved in supplying aircraft components. Samsung Techwin license-produces F404-102 turbofan engines for the T-50, as well as engines, electronic jammers and radar warning receivers (RWR) for the F-15K. Hanwha Corporation produces aircraft flight control systems and actuators for the KT-1, T-50, KUH and F-15K. Boeing outsources various components to local companies as part of its offset obligations for the F-15K . For example, LIG Nex1 produces the head-up display (HUD), airborne communication system and radar assemblies. It also provides UHF/VHF radios for the KT-1, and radar/radios for the T-50
Utilising helicopter technology


A second area of expertise for KAI lies in helicopters, as demonstrated by the wide-ranging Korean Helicopter Programme (KHP). The first stage is the 8-tonne Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH), christened Surion by its maker, which has been in development since June 2006 as a replacement for South Korea&#8217;s venerable UH-1H and 500MD fleets. This resulted from a USD1.15 billion Ministry of National Defence (MND) R&D contract. The KUH is designed for utility transport, airborne assault, search and rescue, medevac and command-and-control missions. Designed from the outset to fulfil local requirements, the KUH enjoyed close technical assistance from Eurocopter, which holds 30% and 20% stakes in the development and production phases respectively. As prime subcontractor, the European company will provide the transmission, gearboxes, rotor mast and automatic flight control system.

The KUH&#8217;s 30-minute maiden flight occurred on 10 March 2010 at Sacheon, home of KAI&#8217;s headquarters in southern Gyeongsang Province. It operates with two pilots in the digital glass cockpit, plus it carries up to two door-gunners and nine passengers in the cabin. The Surion&#8217;s development phase should conclude in June 2012, with first deliveries to the ROK Armed Forces commencing in September. A KRW650 billion production contract was awarded on 31 December 2010, and 245 KUHs are to be delivered over a ten-year period at an average rate of two units per month.

The Surion&#8217;s two license-built 1,600shp T700-GE-701K turboshaft engines propel it to a maximum speed of 144 knots. Approximately 60% of KUH components are being made domestically, examples being the composite rotor blades, and prognostic health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS). It is reported Elbit Systems will supply ANVIS/HUD-24 helmet-mounted displays.

The tie-up between KAI and Eurocopter is particularly important since it represents South Korea&#8217;s largest defence contract with a country other than the USA. The two companies are seeking healthy export sales of both civilian- and military-configured Surions too. The partners created a 50/50 joint venture on 18 October 2007 to internationally market the KUH, and the target is 300 export sales within a 25-year period. In a further development between the European and South Korean aerospace heavyweights, the KAI-EC joint stock company to promote export of the Surion was formed on 3 May 2011.

Phase 2 of the KHP will see an armed/combat helicopter and civilian helicopter developed by 2015. More details on the Korean Attack Helicopter (KAH) project have already been mentioned in the preceding article. This KAH programme will lead to Phase 3 from 2016 onwards for a next-generation mid-size/large utility helicopter. The company even harbours dreams of creating a tilt-rotor design similar to the V-22 Osprey further down the track.
Unmanned aerial vehicles set to proliferate


The government announced in 2005 it would nurture the sphere of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as an economic growth engine. Indeed, the 2009 edition of the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition unveiled some interesting UAV designs. The ROK military acknowledges the need to upgrade its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, and UAVs are one effective way of doing that, especially considering the rugged, mountainous topography of the Korean peninsular.

It may come as a surprise that the flag carrier airline, Korean Air, is heavily involved in UAV development. However, it should be remembered that the Aerospace Division of Korean Air (KAL-ASD) has performed maintenance and/or system upgrades for KF-16, C-130, F-4 and P-3C aircraft, and CH-47 and Lynx helicopters. In addition, it has license-built UH-60 and 500MD helicopters for the ROK military. KAL-ASD employs 1,900 workers, and it has produced KT-1 centre and rear fuselage sections, and wing and aft fuselage parts for the KF-16.

With the recent winning of several important contracts, KAL-ASD is even drawing away business from KAI. Korean Air&#8217;s first UAV design was the short-range Korean Unmanned System 7 (KUS-7), which was fully developed by 2007 using mainly local components. The company began working on the second-generation KUS-9 in 2006 after a government contract was awarded. The blended wing body (BWB) KUS-9 weighs 150kg and it can operate in all weather conditions day or night. The craft is powered by a 38hp engine from UAV Engines Limited that gives an eight-hour endurance. The 3.4m-long craft carries an IAI POP300 surveillance payload. Test flights commenced in mid-2009. DAPA issued a USD30 million contract on 7 September 2010 to develop a divisional-level craft (D-UAV) for the ROK Army (ROKA). Based on the KUS-9, the D-UAV could be in service by 2014.

In late 2008 Korean Air was selected as developer of a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) design capable of 24-hour endurance. Development of the so-called MUAV started in mid-2009, and it is slated to be operational by 2016. The MUAV will integrate foreign technology, and its specifications will be somewhat similar to the MQ-1 Predator. US$375 million was awarded under the R&D contract. KAL-ASD was also commissioned in mid-2010 to produce a scaled-down, stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). Testing of two airframes should be completed by 2014.

We return again to KAI, as any discussion of South Korean aerospace inevitably does. The country&#8217;s first operational military UAV was the Night Intruder 300 (RQ-101), developed jointly with the Agency for Defence Development (ADD) from 1991-2000. Approximately 30 RQ-101 craft have been in ROKA service at the corps level for day/night battlefield reconnaissance tasks since 2005. Tipping the scales at 300kg and able to carry a 45kg payload, this craft has a 120km range and can cruise at 185km/h. With a 6.4m wingspan, it is bigger than the KUS-9. Government funding has permitted development of an improved ground control station (GCS), enhanced payload capacity and upgrades to the avionics and image detection system. These improvements were to be implemented in 2011.

KAI has not rested on its laurels, for it has also been working on a next-generation corps-level UAV to supersede the RQ-101. The Night Intruder 100N (NI-100N) is one-third the weight and 65% the size of the RQ-101, while its 21hp engine permits a 60km range and six-hour endurance. One research engineer told Defence Review Asia that this tactical UAV project kicked off in 2008. However, KAI will be facing competition from Korean Air, because the latter will be bidding with its own corps-level design too.

KAI looks into the future with its stealthy K-UCAV. Still at the conceptual stage, its creators imagine it will employ a fan engine and carry internal air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. With a 9.1m wingspan, the futuristic-looking K-UCAV can achieve speeds of Mach 0.86 and range of 280km. KAI expects the ROKAF to be a user, but it is developing the fly-by-wire design privately at present. A demonstrator could be flying by 2015/16.

South Korea&#8217;s carefully planned policy of research and gaining technical knowhow seems destined to bear fruit in coming years. Exports of military and civilian UAVs have always been a major goal. Worthy of mention is the Smart UAV Development Programme launched by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in 2002. The aim of the government-funded US$91.7 million programme is to develop and integrate advanced core technologies as part of South Korea&#8217;s plans to become a world UAV leader. One design KARI has been working on is a tilt-rotor UAV capable of high-speed flight. The third phase of Smart UAV, expected to end in March 2012, will focus on technologies such as data-links, collision avoidance and self-diagnostic systems. Samsung Thales is prominent in providing UAV electro-optical tracking systems (EOTS), while DAPA selected Ucon Systems to develop miniature UAVs.
Aiming for the stars


Although it is beyond the remit of this article, brief mention should be made of South Korean space aspirations too. KARI established the Naro Space Centre on Oenaro Island, and the country is vigorously pursuing its National Space Programme. It is doing so with Russian technical help and despite US resistance. The programme includes its own network of multipurpose satellites and Korea Space Launch Vehicles (KSLV) that will one day offer launch service to other nations. Korean Air is the prime contractor for the KSLV-I (later renamed Naro-1), although the first two launches in 2009 and 2010 failed. The country&#8217;s first Cheollian communication/ocean and meteorological satellite was put into orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket in mid-2010.

Turkey and Indonesia have already opted for South Korean aerospace technology, one of its competitive advantages being cheaper pricing compared to equivalent US or European equipment. South Korea also offers an alternative source to countries leery of relying too heavily on US equipment and its proscriptive political/technical policies.


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## Zabaniyah



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## RayKalm

This is most likely stickied because of you know.. the mass regional aggression the countries have in this region.


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## Tshering22

Zabaniya said:


>



It is an ideal jet for the Koreans to acquire. Since their jet fighter won't be in until the end of this decade, they will need some replacements of the oldest F-15 variants they have.


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## BordoEnes

S.Korean U214 on 20 month long repair

Interesting as with Greek (German subs) introduction is to say at least painful. 

Sound and AIP engine reliability has put her effectively out of operations for at least 20 months. 

Perhaps our Korean friends here can share more light on it. 

::SBS::[ 

the heroes of the Korean War Admiral's sonwonil namesake state-of-the-art flagship submarine sonwonil 'two unexplained failure to operations in the 20 months are missing. Reporters operation of our naval power is disrupted. Taehoon Kim alone is reported

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## octopusonhead

I think SK got screwed on the deal of buying the U214, all they seem to be running into is problems.


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## Hafizzz

*Is South Korea Stealing U.S. Military Secrets?*
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/10/28/is_south_korea_stealing_us_military_secrets

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel watched a live-fire exercise in South Korea last month in which American and Korean tanks operated side-by-side in a display of military might between two trusted partners fond of describing theirs as a "blood alliance."

But just beneath that relationship's surface is a growing unease. South Korea, one of America's strongest partners in East Asia, is aggressively targeting U.S. advanced technology for its own use in a variety of Korean weapons programs, Foreign Policy has learned. From anti-ship missiles, electronic warfare equipment, torpedoes, a multiple-launch rocket system, and even components on a Korean-made _Aegis_ destroyer, the United States is concerned about the uncanny resemblance those systems bear to American weaponry. Even the tanks Hagel watched on the range that day may be partial knock-offs: The Korean models have fire control systems that appear to be all-but-identical to the American versions.

Though the United States long has had systems in place to monitor technology-sharing with allies, the case with South Korea has become particularly acute in the last few years. As the United States pivots East and Asia's once sleepy defense industries begin to awaken, it has quietly begun to scrutinize its technology-sharing relationships with such allies, conducting secret but robust "dialogues" -- diplomatic-speak for a series of private exchanges on tech-sharing between the two countries -- to ensure that American secrets stay that way.

That's particularly true of South Korea, which on Sept. 30 celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the mutual defense treaty with the United States. The Koreans hosted Hagel for two large military parades, followed by a gala evening event with fruit drinks the color of the Korean flag, glowing speeches about the alliance, and much talk of _katchi kapshida_ -- "we stand together."

But the United States is watching closely as the South Korean defense industry shoots for a larger market share. The country is gaining a reputation for gleaning as much as it can from American advanced technology, exploiting any opening it sees. The very fact that discussions are underway with South Korea is a sign of the level of concern, an administration official says. As the Obama White House counters mounting worries among European allies that it is listening in on top leaders' conversations, the United States is also scrambling to make sure South Korea isn't absconding with the secrets that have made American defense platforms world-class.

The South Koreans are known for making knock-offs and improving upon them. But from a variety of Korean-made sensor equipment, anti-ship missiles, and electronic warfare systems, the United States sees the Koreans going after American technology and, potentially, copycatting it.

"They are very good at taking full advantage of any loopholes with any type of agreement," a former government official who worked in Seoul told FP.

That's problematic on several levels. Not only could Seoul sell its newly-acquired advanced weaponry to another country that could use it against American interests, but proprietary American technologies could be sold by other countries to undermine the American defense industry. That would come just as the U.S. industry confronts the biggest shrinkage of Pentagon dollars in more than a decade and is looking to diversify its markets overseas.

Hagel stood there that day at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Korea with his senior military assistant, Lt. Gen. Robert "Abe" Abrams, after whose father the famous American tank was named. The South Koreans's K1 tank was based on the design of the Abrams, but the Koreans have added their own touches, from a hydro-pneumatic suspension and torsion bars to a fording kit for crossing rivers. The newest version of the K1 tank, the K1A1, possesses upgrades that include a 120mm smoothbore gun, updated electronics, and a top-of-the-line fire control system to improve accuracy and effectiveness. But the irony of the joint exercise designed to put the relationship on display may not have escaped either Hagel or Abrams as they stood there that day. American officials fear that fire control system aboard the K1A1 tank is essentially a rip-off of its own technology, which, if true, would represent a theft of a sensitive -- and marketable -- capability.

Ditto for the Koreans's Haesung anti-ship missile, first developed in the late 1990s to be better than the American-made Harpoon anti-ship missile. Again, American defense officials have raised concerns with the Koreans that the technology upon which the Harpoon missile is based is very similar to the American technology.

The relationship between the United States and South Korea on the point of technology-sharing is extremely sensitive, so much so that a number of outside experts who would normally speak to such an issue refused to do so or would only talk privately out of a fear of insulting a trusted ally. Kath Hicks, the former principal deputy undersecretary of defense at the Pentagon until leaving earlier this year, summed it up: "The alliance is incredibly important to us and it's incredibly important to them, and there are things about friendships that are best discussed in private."

But leaks within the South Korean news media recently indicated South Korea has begun to use its press to take swipes at the United States. One story in August in _Hankook Ilbo _suggested South Korea faced a backlash from the United States: "The United States has reportedly launched an investigation into whether the ROK has stolen U.S. military technologies in developing its weapons," the story said. "Observers speculate the United States may intend to put the brakes on the ROK's growing weapons exports."

Speaking to the issue for the first time, American officials dismiss the idea of a series of "investigations," but do say that as they look to the evident ambitions of South Korea's defense industry, they must be extremely wary. The concerns with South Korea come at a critical time for the United States. It is attempting to display its commitment to the Asia-Pacific, spending billions of dollars to do so. But it is also relying on its regional partners to take responsibility for more and more of the security needs in the region as its defense dollars shrink. That means the demand for U.S. technology and weapons systems are growing. But so is the suspicion that as some allies' defense industries mature, standing too close to them -- and sharing too much technology -- poses a significant risk. The fears about South Korea's demand for weapons technology are not new. Direct evidence that the country is stealing American technology is hard to come by, but the suspicions harbored by U.S. officials are so pronounced that a senior Pentagon official was willing to take the unusual step of speaking on the record to FP about them.

"We need people to have good capabilities," said Beth McCormick, the head of the Pentagon's Defense Technology Security Administration, or DTSA, in an interview in her office a few miles from the Pentagon. "But at the same time, when we provide that technology, the United States has the perspective that we want to make sure that it is used for the purpose for which we provide it." McCormick would not discuss any specific platforms on which DTSA is applying additional scrutiny, saying only that the United States is in a robust "dialogue" with Korea and must ensure that the technologies it shares, even with trusted allies, are properly safeguarded. "We really want to have an advanced dialogue with Korea because we saw the fact that Korea has definitely made it very clear that they want to have a bigger, indigenous defense industry," McCormick said.

Right now, the dialogue between the two countries is focused heavily on the potential sale of the advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the South Koreans. American officials are putting into place a strict security agreement to ensure that nothing is shared, either with the wrong people, or for use by a buyer of a Korean-made copycat for Korea's own competitive purposes. The South Koreans are interested in the F-35, but their interest comes at the same time as South Korea's bid to build its own stealth jet, raising bureaucratic eyebrows in the United States. It could be the equivalent of South Korea taking a fighter jet on a test drive, as it were, flying it around the corner to kick its tires, only then to return it to the dealership and say it's not interested, but first looking under the hood and taking some pictures.

"If any country is taking our JSF around the corner to try to exploit it, that's going to be a real problem," McCormick said.

Under the Arms Export Control Act, allies can re-sell certain American technologies but only after approval from the U.S. State Department that the country is in compliance with the "end use" of that technology.

The United States can't be too careful, McCormick said. If, in the future, the U.S. government sees that its technology has been exploited, that will have a deleterious effect on the technology-sharing relationship with that country, she said. "If we have any information or any evidence that there are issues out there, it immediately raises concerns for us, and depending upon what we think about it, it might affect what type of technology we might provide in the future," she said.

The Koreans have been receptive, McCormick said, creating a government agency similar to her own to monitor and protect the technology. But there remains a worry about that agency's independence since it falls under another one that is helping to promote the South Korean defense industry -- a matter, in effect, of the fox guarding the henhouse.

None of these concerns surprises U.S. government officials who have worked Korea issues. The former government official who worked in Seoul but who would only speak on background said the South Koreans have an aggressive stance toward technology as they build their defense business. And while it's unclear if they are stealing American secrets, they'll do whatever is possible. "If they thought they would have a really good chance of getting away with it? Probably," the former official said. Unlike France or Israel, South Korea has never had a reputation like other American allies for being overly aggressive as an economic spy. But as its ambitions for its defense industry grow, experts who know South Korea note that Seoul has long had an appetite for American secrets. It paid former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Robert Kim to slide the government critical intelligence in the late 1990s. Kim was caught and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1997. Such practice is a fact of life, the former U.S. government official said. "Friends spy on friends," the individual as much as shrugged.

In May 2011, Young Su Kim, a former vice president at a Colorado-based firm, Rocky Mountain Instrument Company, helped in the illegal export to South Korea of military technical data for prisms that are used in guidance or targeting systems in unmanned aerial vehicles, AC-130 gunships, tanks, and missile systems. He was sentenced to five years behind bars, according to data provided by the Department of Justice.

And in 2010, Juwhan Yun, a naturalized American citizen of Korean orgin was sentenced to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to illegally export to South Korea components for a 20mm gun and a Russian fighter jet, RD-180 rocket propulsion systems, and other technology without the State Department's approval. He was arrested the year before in Florida and later indicted for attempting to purchase rocket materials for a company working on the Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle, according to the Justice Department. Yun had also been convicted in 1989 of conspiracy for violating the Arms Export Control Act in connection to exporting 500 quarter-ton bombs of sarin gas to Iran, none of which made it to its final destination, according to data provided by Justice.

Driven by its fears of aggression from the North -- as well as its strong desire to export its wares -- South Korea has never kept secret its ambitions to build an indigenous defense business. Seoul has marketed its defense products not only in Asia but in Europe and even the United States. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ranks South Korea as 16th in arms exporters globally under the top six: the United States, Russia, Germany, France, China, and Britain.

"They are minor league," said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. "Medium league at best." But, Wezeman said, they are extremely active, marketing their defense products around the world. "They have big hopes for more arms sales, and if you believe them, they will be in a couple of years at the same level as Israel, Germany, and France," he said, adding the caveat: "It's probably a bit overly optimistic."

South Korea put itself on the map late last year when Norway made overtures toward South Korea to build a conventional submarine. Much of the technology upon which such a platform is based comes from the Germans. But the sub is an example of Korean innovation. Unlike the Japanese, who are seen in many ways as imitators, the Koreans are themselves more inventive, taking what they glean from other exporters and improving upon it.

"Don't underestimate the Koreans," Wezeman said. "They are quite capable of doing very advanced things themselves."

Many experts believe that South Korea uses the threat posed by North Korea to build its own defense industry -- and justify drawing American advanced technology closer. Within South Korea, the country sees itself as a developed ally of the United States, but as its defense industry inches its way onto the global stage, it feels increasingly entitled to obtain the best, most advanced technology available. That may be coming at the expense of the United States, which is viewed differently within Korea by different generations. The Korean War-era generation views the United States as a strong partner, the one that helped win the war and for whom loyalty is paramount. But a younger, more tech-savvy generation is growing up in a Korea that sees itself as, at least one day, a peer competitor.

At the same time, South Korea isn't completely sure of itself when it comes to operational control of forces on the Peninsula. Currently, the United States retains authority over all forces in South Korea. If there was a significant provocation from North Korea, for example, the U.S. commander in South Korea would assume control not only of his own 28,000-person force, but South Korea's as well. The United States for years has wanted to hand over operational control of those forces to its ally. But so far that hasn't worked. Efforts to formalize the transfer of control, in 2009 and again in 2012, never went through. Currently, that formal transfer is scheduled for 2015, but again, the South Koreans want to delay it.

Strategically, the South Koreans are still very much dependent on the United States. But when it comes to defense exports, the country is emerging as one ready to move out of the nest. And the United States is worried the student has access to too many of the teacher's lesson plans.

"Now they are on the level of where they can be competitive with us," says the former government official. "At what point does the student become the teacher?"


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## Black Eagle 90

Can Korea will do JV if KSA, UAE, Jordan as to join in for MBTs, Self Propelled Howetzers, Wheeled and Tracked APCs along with Electrical and Electronics development.

Also Koreans can help these countries to start up their own Automotive industries as well.


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## Al Bhatti

blain2 said:


> South Koreans are a great example to emulate in terms of technological development for South Asia.



I also say so, but Pakistanis say we should not compare ourselves with Japan or Korea. We cannot be like them. Probably they are the chosen ones by the god to be prosperous and their genes have something which Pakistanis don't have.


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## Mugwop

Any members here from South Korea?

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## Hakan

*
































Jessica_L said:



Any members here from South Korea?

Click to expand...

As far as I know no.*​

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## Mugwop

> *As far as I know no.*


I can start Kpop threads to get their interest here but that would be off-topic.Most of my SK friends are not into military hardware,etc.

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## Indus Falcon

*Pining for Control: South Korea’s KAMD
National Ballistic Missile Defense System*
May 27, 201418:48 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff

South Korea continues to modernize its forces, and take steps toward full sovereign control of its defenses. PAC-2 GEM+ missileswere orderedin 2008 to be operational in 2010 and fully in place by 2012. South Korea doesn’t appear to be aiming as high as Japan, with its license-produced Patriot PAC-3s and long-range naval SM-3 systems, but medium range SM-2 Block IIIA/B missiles fired from ROKNKDX-III destroyersdo offer another limited option for the ROK’s coastal cities.

As countries like the UAE have been quick to recognize, turning a series of point defenses into a cohesive system that can respond in time requires long-range detection, and strong regional command-and-control systems. Now, a key contract has been signed, as South Korea prepares to field its Air and Missile Defense Cell (AMD-Cell) radars and command system.

*Contracts and Key Events*
Note that this article doesn’t cover every South Korean BMD purchase. It focuses on the core AMD-Cell command and control system, key radars, and overall assessments. Beyond that, it notes key milestones and decisions that may involve weapons within KAMD, like PATRIOT missiles, KDX-III destroyers, etc. Links to in-depth coverage of more specific systems are provided in the “Additional Readings” section.

*2010 – 2014*

North Korea is believed to have deployed more than 600 short-range Scud missiles with a 320-500 km range, and around 200 Rodong missiles with a 1,300 km range.

*May 26/14: KAMD.*Marcin Andrzej Piotrowski looks at past and current regional tensions are preventing South Korea from fully participating in an integrated missile defense network with Japan and the US. The tensions have also prompted Seoul to modernize its defense industry, and to collaborate with Russia and Israel instead. It also has a good summary of KAMD’s current state and plans, though it fails to pay much attention to KM-SAM program efforts with Russia:

“Since 2006, Seoul has been working on low-altitude defence, the Korea Air and Missile Defence (KAMD), which would initially cost $3 billion. This is currently based on the Israeli C3I Citron Tree system and two Green Pine early warning radars. Since 2009, KAMD has included eight strategic location batteries with 48 launchers and 192 PAC-2 GEM-T missiles. Negotiations about the delivery of an additional 112 PAC-2 missiles from the U.S. are ongoing (at a cost of $404 million). Between 2008 and 2012, ROK Navy also received three modern KDX-III Sejong-class destroyers with Aegis systems and SM-2 missiles…. In the context of the growing threat, ROK has decided to augment KAMD further between 2016 and 2020, with American PAC-3 missile interceptors ($1.3 billion). Seoul is planning another three Sejong-class destroyers with SM-6 missiles, more advanced than the SM-2s. It is possible that Seoul will decide to buy more capable missile defence systems, such as THAADs, SM-3s, Arrows, or even S-400s. Due to the scale of the rocket threat, the large area of Seoul and the costs of interceptors, procurement of the Israeli Iron Dome system is much less likely. However, ROK is planning to buy 10 RPS-42 TASRS Israeli radars ($191 million) in the near future, for detecting drones and cruise missiles at very low altitude.”

Sources: ISN, “South Korea’s Air and Missile Defence: Below the Threat Level”.

*April 28/14: PATRIOT.*South Korea’s defense establishment formally confirms their intent to upgrade existing PATRIOT systems to PAC-3/Config-3 status (q.v. March 12/14). The budget is WON 1.3 – 1.4 trillion (about $1.25 billion), and they aim to deploy the system between 2016 – 2020. Sources: The Korea Herald, “Seoul to upgrade missile defense”.

PATRIOT upgrade OK

*July 26/13: KAMD.*South Korea is investing in deterrence and ISR capabilities that will complement its KAMD system, and plans to devote $63 billion of its $192.6 billion 2014 – 2018 budget period for KAMD and deterrent systems.

“The activation of a new Air and Missile Defense Cell (AMD-Cell) was planned for this month, after few months delay. This command and control center will support the entire KAMD enterprise. The AMD-Cell will integrate early warning and target tracks from multiple sources, including US Early Warning Satellites (DSP), SPY-1 naval radars deployed on the KDX-III AEGIS destroyers and the new, land-based Green Pine delivered by israel.”

Deterrent systems include their own ballistic missiles and mediu-long range cruise missiles, and the new budget also contemplates high-altitudes, long-endurance RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 30 jet-powered UAVs. These systems aren’t enough to seriously threaten China yet, but once deployed, they will create a full defense and kill chain that completely outclasses North Korea.

Even all of this equipment won’t stop the DPRK from destroying Seoul if the tense cease-fire reverts to full conflict. What it will do is make South Korean retaliation very thinkable if North Korea decides to shell populated areas, blow up a number of Cabinet members in a terrorist attack, sink South Korean ships, etc. as it has done in the past. An enemy that is comprehensively outclassed loses at least some of its escalation dominance, no matter how aggressive they may be. Sources: Defense Update, “Seoul to Invest US$63 Billion in Strategic Deterrence, Missile Defense”.

*June 11-12/13: Naval.*The Yonhap news agency quotes “a senior government official,” who says that itsKDX-IIIdestroyers will have their SM-2 missiles supplemented by SM-6 purchases as of 2016, as part of KAMD. The SM-6 will complement the ROK’s existing SM-2s. By 2016, they’ll be usable as terminal point defense against ballistic missiles, while also providing long-range air defense against enemy fighters, cruise missiles, etc. If the 2016 delivery date is fixed, it implies a 2014 order for SM-6 missiles. It also implies a future system upgrade for the ships, from a standard Aegis combat system to Aegis BMD 5.0.

On land, South Korea is looking to upgrade its PATRIOTs to the latest PAC-3/Config-3 standard. The question is how compatible that system will be with the USA’s missile defense systems. A working group has been set up with the USA, and findings are expected in early 2014. South Korea hopes to have KAMD v1.0 fully ready by 2020. Sources: Yonhap, “S. Korea to deploy new surface-to-air missiles for Aegis destroyers” | Global Post, “S. Korea aims to establish missile destruction system by 2020″.

Naval BMD OKed

*Dec 23/12: Issues.*Korea and the USA are talking about integrating AMD-Cell in Osan with the U.S. Forces Korea’s PATRIOTs. The problem is that they need to create a firewall that would insulate that joint system from other US BMD assets outside South Korea. Which is to say, in Japan.

Korea was invaded by Japan during WW2, and Japanese atrocities left a lot of hard feelings. South Korean governments have faced firestorms of criticism when proposals have been made to share intelligence with Japan, even if that intelligence concerns North Korean missile launches. North Korea’s networks of sympathizers in South Korea are happy to stir up those hard feelings up whenever it’s convenient, of course. Sources: SLD, “Defending South Korea: The Challenge of North Korean Missiles.

*Dec 5/12: Green Pine deployment.*South Korea’s Green Pine radars are almost ready to deploy:

“South Korea brought in two Israeli-made “Green Pine” radars this year, one of them in August and the other last month, and has since been conducting tests to ensure they have no defects.

“Acceptance testing of the Green Pine radar No. 1 comes to an end today with a final assessment of 24-hour continuous operation,” the source said. “It will be deployed immediately after the acceptance testing and will be in service when North Korea launches its long-range rocket.”

Testing of the second radar will be completed by mid-December and deployed thereafter, the source said.”

Sources: Yonhap, “S. Korea to deploy newly introduced radar ahead of N. Korea rocket launch”.

Green Pine radars deployed

*Oct 28/12: PATRIOT.*A joint study by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and the US Missile Defense Agency concludes that the PATRIOT PAC-2 system has an interception success rate of below 40% against ballistic missiles. South Korea’s government looked at that, then concluded that they need to buy PAC-3 batteries, in order to push their odds above 70% for covered areas.

The PAC-3 systems appear to be a priority, with deliveries to begin in 2014. To achieve that, a DSCA export request will need to be issued in the very near future. As PAC-3 systems arrive, South Korea reportedly plans to divert their billion-dollar buy of German PAC-2 batteries to defend against aircraft and cruise missiles. ROK’s Yonhap News Agency, S. Korea moves to upgrade Patriot defense system” | Chosun Ilbo, “PAC-2 Missiles Flunk Intercept Test”.

*Oct 26/12: Made in Korea.*Despite American urgings, South Korea sees America’s system as unsuitable for their needs. American systems tend to focus on midcourse intercepts, but the Koreans see hundreds of missiles just 5-10 minutes flight from their territory, and prefer terminal intercept capabilities. They also aren’t about to give up their own research and capabilities in this critical area, given their doubts about US resolve, but it’s best not mention this to your ally:

“The MD system that the United States envisions is a multi-layered defense system, which is fundamentally different from the Korean type of missile defense system that is oriented to low-layer defense,” a defense ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “We cannot but build a low-layer defense system under operational situations on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, building the KAMD (Korean Air and Missile Defense) means never participating in U.S. efforts to build a multi-layer defense system,” the official said.”

It’s the “never” that tells you there’s more at work here than just operational considerations. Sources: Yonhap, “Defense ministry denies possibility of S. Korea joining U.S. missile defense”.

*April 10/10: KAMD.*South Korea is sticking to its course and deploying an indigenous missile defense system, with initial deployment scheduled for July 2010.

“South Korea, which decided not to join the U.S.-led global missile defense system, has gradually been building an independent, low-tier missile shield called the Korea Air and Missile Defense System (KAMD) since 2006 by acquiring Patriot missiles and long-range early warning radars.

The KAMD involves early warning radars, ship-to-air and land-based missile defense systems, arming Seoul with the ability to track and shoot down the North’s low-flying, short- and medium-range missiles, with help of U.S. early warning satellites.”

Sources: Yonhap, “S. Korea to deploy indigenous missile defense system in July”.

*2009*




EL/M-2080 “Green Pine”
(click to view larger)​*This article is incomplete. Kindly read the complete one here:*

Pining Control: South Korea’s KAMD National Ballistic Missile Defense System


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## Indus Falcon

*Troops in Standoff with South Korean Soldier Who Killed 5 Comrades*
_*Jun. 22, 2014 - By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESS*_

*



*
_South Korean soldiers patrol as they search for a soldier who is on the run after a June 22 shooting in Goseong-gun, South Korea. (Getty Images)_*

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA*— South Korean troops traded fire in a standoff Sunday with a cornered conscript soldier who went on the run after shooting dead five members of his unit on the border with North Korea.

The 23-year-old army sergeant, surnamed Lim, had opened fire on fellow soldiers at a guard post on the eastern section of the heavily guarded frontier Saturday night.

The shooting spree left five dead and seven wounded — and triggered a massive manhunt after Lee fled the scene armed with a K-2 assault rifle and a stash of ammunition.

A defense ministry spokesman said Lim, who apparently had a record of instability, had been tracked and cornered just before 2:30 p.m. Sunday near an elementary school around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border.

“He shot at the pursuing troops and they returned fire,” the spokesman said, adding that one officer had been wounded in the arm.

Local media reported that Lim’s parents had been brought to the scene and had pleaded with their son to surrender.

As night fell, Lim was believed to be holed up in a small section of forest on a hill behind the school.

Some 500 residents of a nearby village, most of them elderly, were evacuated from their homes to another school building as a precaution.

“I’ve never known anything like this in my life,” one 60-year-old villager told the Yonhap news agency.

“I stayed up all of last night. My children live far away and they’re very worried about me,” she said.

According to the military, Lim was due to be discharged in the next few months after completing his compulsory military service.

The conscript detonated a grenade immediately after finishing his six-hour guard duty at about 2 p.m. Saturday, then opened fire, Yonhap reported.

All those killed or wounded in the incident were members of the 22nd infantry division, in the eastern province of Gangwon.

Thousands of soldiers took part in the search for the fugitive, including special forces units, as army helicopters scanned the area from above.

*Shooter Had Trouble Adapting*
Lim had difficulty adapting to the military, and past psychological evaluators had advised senior officers to pay him special attention, a defense ministry official who wished to remain anonymous told AFP.

This is not the first time the 22nd infantry has been involved in such an incident.

In 1984 a private belonging to the same division opened fire and threw a grenade at fellow soldiers in their barracks, killing 15.

The soldier, Cho Jun-Hee, then crossed the border to defect to the North, a move that Pyongyang’s state media later confirmed.

The site of Saturday’s shooting is just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) — a buffer strip that runs the full length of the 250-kilometer (155-mile) frontier.

The four-kilometre-wide DMZ — known as the world’s last Cold War frontier — features guard posts manned by the rival armies, barbed wire and roads bisecting minefields.

Because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas technically remain at war.

Many of the South Korean soldiers on border duty are young male recruits doing their mandatory two-year military service.

These young men make up a large part of the South’s 691,000-strong troop presence, compared with 1.17 million in the North.

Most of the victims in Saturday’s shooting were conscripts, aged from 19 to 23.

The defense ministry issued a “sincere apology” over the incident.

“We pray for the souls of the victims and express our deepest regret for the victims, the injured and their families,” it said.

Bullying and cruelty in the barracks have long tarnished the armed forces, and been blamed for suicides and similar shooting incidents.

In July 2011 a 19-year-old marine conscript killed four colleagues in a shooting spree on Ganghwa island near the border.

In June 2005 eight soldiers were killed and two seriously wounded when a 22-year-old conscript threw a grenade and sprayed bullets over sleeping colleagues at a frontline guard post north of Seoul.

In both those cases the men were court-martialed and sentenced to death, although the penalty was not carried out.

The armed forces have in recent years taken steps to stamp out bullying, which they called part of a “distorted military culture.”

Troops in Standoff with South Korean Soldier Who Killed 5 Comrades | Defense News | defensenews.com

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## dr.knowhow

*General Atomics Aeronautical System of USA Getting Involved in Introduction Program of UAV for Surveillance of NWI / NLL Competing Israeli Companies.*

For the recent 2014 Brazil world cup, the government of Brazil has done some hard work for public order and counter terrorism, deploying armored vehicles and armed polices. Also not seen, though Brazilian Air force has also gave support to do this, deploying their UAV, Hermes 900 of Israeli company, Elbit. Right behind USA, Israel is second most developed country regarding their ability of making Unmanned vehicles.

MQ-1 Predator is the typical and most widely known UAV in the world, implementing various mission in Iraq-Afghan war for more than 10 years, also attacking Al-Qaeda and Taliban.

These worldwide recognized UAVs are participating ' Corps-class UAV Ability Enhancement Program' ongoing in Korea, handing in their proposals to ROK armed forces. This program is there to enhance the ability of surveillance and guarding DPRK armed forces near NWI (northwest Islands) and NLL (northern limit line) on western sea.

Currently, the Korean armed forces owns / operates Israeli UAV 'Searcher' of IAI and Indigenous 'Songgolmae (pergegrine falcon)' UAV, though it lacks of long-time reconnaissance ability so that ROK armed forces has started 'MALE UAV emergency introduction program' since 2012. ADD (Agency of Defense Development) is already developing Korean MALE based on KUS-15, though it will take few years so that ROK armed forces is currently conducting this emergency introduction program to keep NWI and NLL safe.

In the end of application of proposal in last June, an unexpected event occurred. Israel and USA, the two prominent countries regarding UAV technologies have participated in this UAV program purchasing 4 MALE UAVs for ₩ 300 billion. This is the first time in ROK UAV introduction program that both American and Israeli companies participated. The competing companies and their models are Predator XP of GAAS, Hermes 900 of Elbit and Heron-1 of IAI.

The Predator XP has lenght of 8.22 m, 16.8 m wide, weighting 204 kg on board, maximum speed of 222 km with it's range of 1239 km and service ceiling of 25000 ft. The XP variant is designed not to be able to be armed with weapons such as Hellfire missiles for export markets. It has 35 hours of flight endurance which is 11 hours longer compared to MQ-1 Predator. The Cost of Predator XP is known to be ₩ 50 billion.

Israeli companies who counter GAAS have already done intense competition in international markets. Elbit's Hermes has adopted both ground and maritime surveillance aircraft so that it can observe both ground and sea in one mission constantly which it make this UAV suitable for surveillance of NWI / NLL compared to other competing models. With it's service ceiling of 32000 ft with its maximum load of 300 kg, Hermes 900 can stay in the air for 36 hours snd conduct its S&R mission for 36 hours. Also it's Plug & Play design it can carry out aother kind of mission in short period of time. It is 8.3 m long, 15m wide and has maximum speed of 220 km, developed in 2009.

Heron-1 of IAI has ability of accurate / high-resolution ground survaillance due to EO camera and SAR as it's advantage. Carrying 250 kg of various surveillance equipment, it can last 52 hours i the air. It is 8.5 m long, 16.6 m wide, has maximum speed of 207 km, developed 13 years before Hermes in 1996

Heron-1 is developed long ago and is being used by various countries though it is known that Hermes 900 has won 6 recent international competition against Hermes. One military source has replied that " American Predator has shown it's intention of involvement though considering the cost and offsets, it will be competition between Israeli companies and their Hermes 900 and Heron-1".

Source : Yu Yong Won reporter / journalist of Chosun Ilbo (Korean newspaper) ; Yu Yong Won's Military (유용원의 군사세계)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------






*ROK Army Considering to Halve the Required Number of Current Already Developed Division Class UAV 'KUS-9' and Besides, develop and use new tilt-rotor UAV based on 'Smart UAV (TR-100, TR-6X)'.*















Tilt-Rotor SUAV or TR-100 / TR-6X















KUS-9

KUS-9 or Division Class UAV developed by KAL has hit an unexpected snag. Developed since since 2010, KUS-9 is going to be mass produced in 2015 and will be deployed in divisions of ROK Army. DUAV is expected to improve R&S abilities of front-line divisions in Western and Easter front, but recently, there are some opinions that other kind of UAV should be used in Eastern front due to its mountainous terrain. As result, the airstrip for UAV has been constructed in western front as planned, though in Eastern front the construction has been ceased.

According to officials of Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Their was a proposal to Ministry of Defense to re-develop / upgrade Smart Tilt-Rotor UAV (TR-100, TR-6X) into military purposed UAV and deploy it. The proposal came out in the first half of this year.

The Minister of Ministry of Defense on that moment supported KARI's Tilt-Rotor UAV that halved the required number of DUAV (KUS-9). It is doubtful, that halving the UAV that was turning out well until recent period of time, planned to be mass produced and deployed in 2015 an appropriate attitude preparing war that can break out in any moment.

Also, according to JCS, KARI's Smart Tilt-Rotor UAV needs 7 ~ 10 years for its re-development to fit the ROC.
Thanks to civil-military cooperation, DUAV has longer endurance compared to RQ-101 with slightly longer operational range, though it is half a size and weight which makes DUAV able to land on the field without runway, having capabilities to fly over the ridge, dive towards the landing point in left / right deviation less than 1 m and stop within 30 ~ 40 m automatically.
Besides, it has engine remote restart equipment and parachute.

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is also pushing the support for the Tilt-Rotor UAV, though it still needs technical evaluation and feasibility study thus reflect the budget, which is in contrast of DUAV only few months left from deployment. And still, they are suggesting to use Tilt-Rotor UAV to Ministry of Defense and is exerting their influence only to use DUAV in Western front. According to JCS official, the Tilt-Rotor UAV will be able to be used by army after 2020.
To operate this UAV in the army, it needs to load the sensor which is used by the army, change the specification into Army's requirements and test fly it, and needs to pass airworthiness certification of the army and practicality confirmation for military use.






Tilt-Rotor SUAV test flight

Source : An Seung Beom Reporter / Journalist ; Ryu Yong Won's Military (유용원의 군사세계 안승범님)

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## dr.knowhow

Ozair Akhtar said:


> Can anyone Join Korea and Japan on R&D???


I don't exactly understand your words, though if you are talking about that if any country can join Korean or Japanese R&D project, yes they can. Japan is already conducting joint R&D with Germany, USA, UK, France, Australia, etc. For Korea, there are USA, Indonesia, Turkey, Germany, Russia, etc.

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## MOHSENAM

We do not have many of Koreans in this forum.


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## xhw1986

*Koreans eyeing Iron Dome*

South Korea is interested in buying the Iron Dome anti-missile system, its manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, said yesterday.

Iron Dome, which uses guided missiles to shoot down the Katyusha-style short-range rockets favored by Palestinian and Lebanese guerrillas, has scored around a 90% success rate in the month-old Gaza war, Israeli officials and U.S. observers say.

Rafael CEO Yedidia Yaari said the system’s performance had fuelled foreign interest in it, including by South Korea, which is in an armed standoff with North Korea.

“[South Korea] is very worried not only about rockets, but other things as well … You can certainly include them in the club of interested countries,” Yaari told Israel’s Army Radio, saying Rafael representatives had visited Seoul to promote Iron Dome.

Yaari did not give details on how advanced such a deal with South Korea may be. Rafael has not made public any foreign sales so far, saying it was giving priority to supplying Iron Domes to Israel, which has fielded nine out of a planned total of 12 interceptor units.

Washington has extensively funded the Israeli deployment and supplies of interceptor missiles. Defence industry sources estimate that each Iron Dome battery costs around $50 million, and each interceptor missile between $30,000 and $50,000.

Also participating in Iron Dome’s production are Israeli defense contractors Elisra Group and Israel Aerospace Industries. The system uses some components made by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon.

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## Hakan

*South Korea's Hyundai on track to deliver K2 with indigenous engines and transmissions*​South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 19 November that it expects the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) to deploy a batch of 100 Hyundai Rotem K2 (Black Panther) main battle tanks (MBTs) fitted with indigenously produced engines and transmission systems by 2017.

An official from Hyundai Rotem confirmed to _IHS Jane's_ that deliveries to the RoKA of an initial batch of 100 K2s fitted with a foreign engine and transmission started in June 2014, and that subsequent batches are to be fitted with indigenous systems. He confirmed that trials of the K2's locally made engine and transmission systems were complete.


South Korea's Hyundai on track to deliver K2 with indigenous engines and transmissions - IHS Jane's 360


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## Indos

Nice Thread


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## Brian Kim

South Korea is developing new MBT to be fielded in 2030:

Originally learn of the project at tank-net forum, I procure Korean military magazine called Military Review. The July edition looks at armament of XK3, the August edition will be on armor. 

Which means this is mostly data dump, so forgive me.

The goal of the XK3 project is to maintain tank fleet around 2000 according to Defense Plan 2030. For more detail about
Defense Plan 2030, please go to Center for Strategic & International Studies and check on The Evolving Military Balance in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia for free PDF file. By 2030, original K1 fleet would have been in service for about 45 years and need to retired. The goal to have a new tank in 2030 reflect similar projects of the US and Germany, FMBT with former and joint Franco-German project with the latter.

Armament

US M829A3 APFSDS, when fired from 44 calibre at 1555m/s can penetrate 800 to 900mm at 2000m.
German DM63 APFSDS, when fired from 55 calibre at 1750m/s at 2000m, can penetrate 700 to 750 mm.
3BM42M APFSDS at 2000 meters can penetrate 600 to 650 mm, when fired from T-90A at 1700m/s.
T-14's 2A82-1M gun can fire 15 to 20% more pound per square inch then its predecesor, 2A45M with superior range.

Basic 105mm APFSDS for RoK military is K274, which can penetrate 470mm. Latest version K274N can penetrate 550 to 600 mm.

K1A1 is equipped with 44 calibre 120mm gun modeled after Rheinmetal 44 calibre 120mm gun with 74,000 psi.
K2 was originally planned to be fitted with 140mm gun, but instead chose 55 calibre 120mm gun with 97,000 psi.
Basic APFSDS for 120mm gun in RoK military is K276, when fired from K1A1 gun it is at speed of 1615 m/s but fired
from K2, it is at speed of 1800m/s. Tungsten tipped K279 was orignally planned to be based on carbon fiber-reinforced composite like US M829A2, but instead use Surface Coated Double Based technology like DM63. When fired from K2 penetrate 700 to 750 mm at 2000m.

In XK3, the Korean military will research on rail gun or electro thermal-chemical gun, with remote turret with new generation of FCS. Electro thermal-chemical research was already pursued by Agency of Defense Development (RoK military R&D) when XK3 project is announced. The research began as soon as K2 entered production with intent goal to upgrade K2 with it. Goal of the research is to have gun that can fire APFSDS over 2100m/s and penetrating power of 1000mm at 1000m. Research on rail gun by ADD began in 1989, in 1990 made first test, able to propel 1 gram of projectile with speed of 3400m/s. Currently ADD is testing 40mm railgun.

Armour
In early nineties, RoK procure several T-72 from Eastern Bloc and T-80U directly from Russia.
RoK military was shocked that T-80U's 3BM42 APFSDS can penetrate 550mm at 1000m. This is further compounded
by unsubstantiated news that DPRK was planning to procure 200 T-72 equipped with ERA. This spur the
development of K1A1 and second generation of composite armor known as Korean Special Armour Plate (KSAP).
Original K1, equipped with Special Armour Plate, which is based on Chobham composite armor, was refitted with
KSAP. K2 is fitted with third generation of composite armor with ERA and Non-Explosive Reactive Armor (NERA).
With XK3, Korea will research on Stealth technology(cloaking?), electromagnetic protection(force field?) and composite
armor.

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## cabatli_53

From Turkiye to S. Korea. 
A special video prepared by HACI production !

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## black-hawk_101

Will Korea going to buy some Commercial and Military industry in Pakistan?


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## anas_nurhafidz

Nice thread...

Indonesia has good relationship with South Korea, Hope be better in future.


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## Eagle-6

*South Korea's Hybrid Bi Ho air defence system shoots for exports*





South Korea's Doosan DST is marketing its latest Hybrid Bi Ho (Flying Tiger) self-propelled (SP) air defence system to the Asia-Pacific region and is one of two mobile air defence systems recently shortlisted by the Indian government.

The original full-tracked Bi Ho SP air defence system, also known as the K30, has been in service with the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) for some years and is fitted with a two-person turret armed with twin locally manufactured Rheinmetall Air Defence KCB 30 mm cannon.

The Hybrid Bi Ho adds a pod of two Singung (Chiron) fire-and-forget surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) either side of the two-person turret that have an effective range of around 7 km and can engage targets up to a maximum altitude of 3.5 km.

The 30 mm cannons have a cyclic rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute and a maximum effective range in the air defence role of 3,000 m. They also have a secondary ground/ground role.

The target is first picked up by the TPS-830K surveillance radar mounted on the turret rear and then tracked using the panoramic day/night sighting (including forward-looking infrared) system, which also includes a laser rangefinder and is coupled to a computerised fire control system (FCS).

The Hybrid Bi Ho could also receive target information from another source and keep its own surveillance radar switched off to avoid the threat of anti-radiation missiles (ARM).

The Singung (Chiron), which is also known as the P-SAM by manufacturer LIG Nex1, is already deployed by South Korea in a tripod-mounted man-portable version and is fitted with a high explosive blast fragmentation warhead.

In a typical target engagement the Singung SAM would be used to engage targets at longer range with the 30 mm cannon being used to engage close in targets.

The Hybrid Bi Ho was originally developed to meet the requirements of the RoKA and following trials that were completed in 2014 is now in quantity production.

From IHS JANES


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## humphuy

South Korea will develop an indigenous mechanically scanned array (MESA) radar for aircraft with the help of Israel, officials at the Defense Acquisition Program (DAPA) said Thursday. LIG Nex1, a leading defense firm in South Korea, will sign a deal with Israel's Elta Systems on the first phase of development of radars to equip TA-50 light-armed aircraft and FA-50 attack fighters, they said. Both firms will hold a signing ceremony Sept. 3 in Seoul.The TA-50 and FA-50 are modified versions of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet jointly built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin of the United States.The South Korean Air Force is buying 82 T-50 variants &#8213; 50 T-50s, 22 TA-50s and 10 T-50Bs modified for aerobatics. KAI signed a deal last December to develop and produce 60 FA-50s by 2012 to replace A-37 attack jets and F-4/5 fighters as backup to the Air Force's KF-16s and F-15Ks. Under the envisaged agreement, LIG Nex1 will push for developing an indigenous MESA radar based on the Israeli firm's EL/M-2032 radar technologies, agency officials said. The EL/M-2032 radar is credited with a look-up tracking range of 65 to 100 kilometers. ``The indigenous radar is expected to be built by the end of 2010 and subsequently enter service in 2011,'' a DAPA official said, asking to remain anonymous. In the mid- to long-term, the domestically-built radar is likely to be installed on upgraded KF-16 fighters and further developed to an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to equip ``KF-X'' fighters with technology transfers from Elta, sources said. Initiated in 2001, the KF-X program aims to develop more than 120 indigenous fighters by 2020 in partnership with foreign aircraft manufacturers.


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## Human One

*South Korean Navy Seals*



https://imgur.com/A0UJuMS

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## Hindustani78

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War
The Turkish General Staff revealed rare photos of the Turkish troops who were sent to fight in the 1950 Korean War on the occasion of the anniversary of their deployment

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War
The Turkish General Staff revealed rare photos of the Turkish troops who were sent to fight in the 1950 Korean War on the occasion of the anniversary of their deployment

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War
The Turkish General Staff revealed rare photos of the Turkish troops who were sent to fight in the 1950 Korean War on the occasion of the anniversary of their deployment
photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War
The Turkish General Staff revealed rare photos of the Turkish troops who were sent to fight in the 1950 Korean War on the occasion of the anniversary of their deployment

photo / Turkey




Rare photos of Turkish troops who fought in Korean War
The Turkish General Staff revealed rare photos of the Turkish troops who were sent to fight in the 1950 Korean War on the occasion of the anniversary of their deployment


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## Soldier35

The South Korean aircraft manufacturer Korean Aerospace Industries has begun ground testing of the KF-21 Borama fighter. The plane was created as a cheap alternative to the American F-35 fighter. Borame does not have internal weapon hardpoints needed to reduce visibility. This does not allow it to be attributed to the fifth generation of aircraft. At the same time, he will be able to fly faster than the F-35, accelerating to a speed of Mach 1.9. On an external sling, the aircraft will be able to carry up to 10 missiles.

The aircraft actually belongs to the generation 4 plus fighters. The manufacturer claims that the radar of their aircraft is better than that of Russian or Chinese aircraft, although it is not clear how they came to such conclusions, other countries except Russia do not have exact information about the capabilities of the Su-57 radars. It is alleged that in total, at the points of external suspension, the KF-21 will be able to carry up to 7.5 tons of bombs, missiles or external fuel tanks, increasing the range of the vehicle. Such a load is quite at the level of the American F-35 and noticeably more than that of the F-22.

The aircraft is equipped with an active phased antenna array and software at the level of fifth-generation aircraft. There are also optical and thermal imaging passive systems for searching and aiming at enemy aircraft. The KF-21 in the Block 2 version will receive large compartments for the internal placement of weapons: this will reduce its radio visibility to the level of the F-117, and the Block 3 version will receive even lower radio visibility, closer to the F-22.


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