South Korea goals to develop homegrown airborne EW and stand-off jamming know-how as a part of the Block-I Digital Warfare System Growth Challenge.
In response to South Korea’s Block-I Digital Warfare System Growth Challenge, the Protection Acquisition and Program Administration (DAPA) is inspecting ideas and bids by one other consortium of native protection and aerospace majors. The KRW 1.775 trillion ($1.3 billion) funding plans to induct an unidentified variety of plane, which experiences say is 4, by 2034.
KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries) and Hanwha Methods formally unveiled in a press launch on Sep. 28, 2025, their idea for the undertaking, based mostly on a Bombardier World 6500 plane. The EW/SOJ (Digital Warfare/Stand Off Jammer) plane is reported to supply capabilities and know-how similar to the U.S. Air Pressure’s EA-37B Compass Name.
The Block-I program developed to develop an indigenous system, given the strategically delicate nature of digital warfare know-how. Even Japan has introduced plans for its personal EW system, based mostly on its domestically-developed Kawasaki P-1 MPA (Maritime Patrol Plane).
One other contender for this system is a tie-up between Korean Air and LIG Nex1, which experiences from Korea stated is within the lead. DAPA is anticipated to announce the contract winner by October.
Whereas KAI and Korean Air will conduct modifications on the World 6500 and/or Gulfstream G550 plane, respectively, together with the ultimate manufacturing rollout, Hanwha and LIG Nex1 will develop, take a look at and set up the requisite EW/SIGINT/Jamming gear, mission techniques and software program.
KAI-Hanwha airborne EW idea
In its press launch, KAI stated it unveiled a preliminary design on the 2025 Electromagnetic Warfare Workshop held on the aTCenter in Seoul on Sep. 17, including it has now submitted a proper bid to the DAPA. The rendering launched by KAI reveals a conformal array, virtually alongside the whole size of the World 6500’s fuselage, together with antennas and sensors on the dorsal facet.
KAI’s EW/SOJ (Stand Off Jamming) idea “goes past a easy plane form; it’s the results of synthesizing the home plane growth capabilities and applied sciences amassed over the previous 40 years as the one full plane system integration firm in Korea,” says the corporate.
Concerning the system’s design configuration, KAI stated its totally side-mounted arrays consider “plane output and heart of gravity, cooling/energy system integration, maximizing radar and antenna efficiency, and enhancing survivability, in addition to the fuselage of the Bombardier G6500, the essential platform for this digital warfare undertaking.”
KAI added the EW gear put in on the plane underbelly space reduces the general plane peak from the bottom, risking collision “within the occasion of an irregular state of affairs similar to a tire rupture,” and measures have been taken to keep away from such danger.
“Accordingly, KAI and Hanwha Methods adopted a design that realizes the miniaturization and light-weight of the digital warfare execution system and integrates it on each side of the fuselage,” explains KAI. “[This minimizes] the degradation of the plane efficiency whereas decreasing interference with numerous antennas and maximizing digital warfare execution capabilities.”
South Korea’s ROKAF is alleged to be this type of AEW&C platform to reinforce its current, standard config E-7A Peace Eye AEW&C.
Present plan seems to be into Korean Air collaborating wiv L3 Harris and ELTA pic.twitter.com/t0jWt1G7Hg
— Garuda Rajawali (@GardaAramis) September 28, 2025
KAI additionally attracts a comparability with the EA-37B Compass Name, calling it the “strongest digital warfare plane in existence,” saying it has the identical design, with a “deal with concurrently securing digital warfare mission capabilities and plane flight security.”
KAI then highlighted its prime contractor position within the Baekdu-II undertaking to develop and manufacture 4 ISR plane; the profitable completion of the Peace Eye program by integrating the RoKAF’s model of the E-7A Wedgetail, the E-737; the P-3CK Maritime Patrol Plane; the event of recent plane and helicopters just like the KT-1, T-50/TA-50/FA-50, KF-21, KUH, and LAH.
Korean Air-LIG Nex1 proposal
The opposite competitor, a consortium of Korean Air and LIG Nex1, introduced the partnership on Sep. 21, based on Yonhap. The publication added that each firms “deliberate to submit their remaining proposal for the undertaking in early September.”
This was adopted by a FlightGlobal report on Sep. 24 mentioning the Korean Air-LIG Nex1 bid “pulled forward within the competitors.” The report additionally quoted firm officers who stated that it was the “highest scoring bidder” within the undertaking.
There are conflicting experiences on the selection of the provider plane for the Korean Air-LIG Nex1 idea. FlightGlobal reported that Korean Air confirmed the plane will probably be based mostly on the World 6500, whereas Janes experiences will probably be based mostly on the Gulfstream G550.
The Korean Air idea has a conformal sensor on the entrance portion of the facet fuselage, working between the wing root and the entrance part, together with a big ventral array. Each configurations are in line with plane within the airborne SIGINT and electromagnetic spectrum warfare roles.
The way forward for digital warfare in motion!
The forty third ECS simply flew the primary coaching sortie for the EA-37B, a cutting-edge electromagnetic assault plane that gives enhanced capabilities to disrupt adversary networks and help our forces. 👇 pic.twitter.com/sMjq8eUphu
— Air Fight Command (@aircombatcmd) Might 13, 2025
Chosun reported on Sep. 22 that the Korean Air and LIG Nex1 proposal “scored greater” within the bid analysis course of by DAPA, however an “objection course of” nonetheless stays earlier than the ultimate contractor is chosen. DAPA “has been evaluating every firm’s digital warfare gear know-how and airframe integration functionality, amongst different elements,” Chosun added.
‘Want for homegrown EW know-how’
The publication additionally mirrored the federal government’s imaginative and prescient to be self-reliant in EW applied sciences, and scale back reliance on U.S. EW plane, from whom “know-how switch can be restricted.”
Chosun added that the nation wants a jamming vary of “at the very least 200 km to cowl the whole Korean Peninsula.” Moreover, “high-performance transmit-and-receive antenna know-how is required to safe enemy digital alerts whereas disrupting the enemy by emitting highly effective radio waves.”
