Korean Air will buy 4 Bombardier International 6500 enterprise jets, of which two will likely be modified with L3Harris’ assist and the opposite two will likely be modified in South Korea.
L3Harris introduced on Oct. 20, 2025, it has formally acquired the contract from South Korea for its subsequent AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Management) plane. The consortium of L3Harris and Korean Air beforehand received the open competitors by the Protection Acquisitions and Program Administration (DAPA) on Sep. 30.
This system, valued at $2.6 billion, will contain modifying 4 Bombardier International 6500 enterprise jets with the conformal Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) EL/W-2085 AESA (Lively Electronically Scanned Array) radar, and different requisite programs to be delivered to the RoKAF (Republic of Korea Air Pressure) by 2032. Korean Air would buy the 4 plane and “co-develop plane No. 1 and No. 2, and deal with home modifications for No. 3 and No. 4,” mentioned ChosunBiz.
There was nevertheless no announcement by the DAPA web site on this regard, asserting the closure of the open tender and the award of the contract. South Korea’s AEW&C II tender, which was determined by the 171st Protection Acquisition Program Promotion Committee late in September, noticed L3Harris’ proposal beat out the opposite contender, the Saab GlobalEye AEW&C system.
📢 Landmark contract: We’ve been chosen to ship modified @Bombardier International 6500 plane with airborne early warning and management programs to the Republic of Korea Air Pressure. These superior plane promise mission readiness!✈️ Learn extra: pic.twitter.com/WXRRYsRdyi
— L3Harris (@L3HarrisTech) October 19, 2025
A November 2024 direct FMS (Overseas Navy Gross sales) approval from the U.S. of 4 extra E-7s is now additionally successfully cancelled. The ROKAF already operates 4 E-7A Wedgetails, regionally designated because the E-737, that have been inducted by 2012 beneath the Peace Eye undertaking. These plane had nevertheless been experiencing low mission availability charges.
Korean reviews
ChosunBiz additionally defined that Korean Air is anticipated to buy two extra International 6500 plane for the “digital and electrical undertaking,” referring to an airborne digital warfare and jamming plane program. That is South Korea’s Block-I Digital Warfare System Growth Mission, for which the DAPA is analyzing idea proposals by two consortiums of Korean corporations, together with KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries)-Hanwha Methods, and Korean Air-LIG Nex1.
For this, L3Harris had additionally displayed scale mannequin ideas of International 6500-based conformal array system designated “Crow”, together with the CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) and ISTAR platforms known as “Phoenix” and “Griffon,” respectively, at South Korea’s Aerospace Convention in 2024.
L3Harris showcased a mannequin of the International 6500 “Phoenix” AEW&C on the #TADTE2025. The plane, based mostly on the Bombardier International 6500 enterprise jet, is supplied with the latest-generation EL/W-2085 CAEW (L&S) dual-band AESA radar from Israeli firm ELTA Methods, utilizing GaN… pic.twitter.com/0rnRYuRI8c
— 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) September 20, 2025
A scale mannequin of the L3Harris CAEW system was additionally displayed on the TADTE 2025 in Taiwan, for Taipei’s efforts to exchange its older E-2K AEW&C plane. South Korean reviews describe the AEW&C plane as “flying radar and command posts,” that “detect and analyze key targets throughout the nation and conduct real-time command and management of army operations from the air.”
“The high-altitude, long-range enterprise jet modified for the airborne management mission makes use of AI-based, state-of-the-art radar expertise to help air battle administration,” ChosunBiz mentioned.
These plane will fly quicker and function longer to enhance the nation’s mission readiness. They may also cruise at greater altitudes for improved security and supply combat-proven radar protection to extra rapidly detect and monitor threats. The communications suite will present interoperability with the US, NATO and coalition companions, making a networked battlespace with fifth-generation plane and past.
ChosunBiz’s English-language model quoted a Korean Air official, who mentioned: “Via this Airborne Management Plane undertaking, we are going to safe expertise for modifying, integrating, and sustaining the most recent special-mission plane. As a number one home aerospace firm, we are going to do our greatest to determine an industrial basis for large-scale special-mission plane to strengthen nationwide protection capabilities.”
‘Greatest, confirmed plane and expertise for South Korea’
L3Harris’ chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik mentioned within the press launch that the corporate is “able to ship a complicated plane fleet that may strengthen mission effectiveness for a key American ally within the Indo-Pacific area.” He additional added “We stay up for collaborating with the Republic of Korea to develop, take a look at, combine and maintain this very important functionality for years to return.”
Bombardier’s President and CEO Éric Martel touched upon the International 6500’s “reliability and efficiency to help probably the most demanding missions” which ensures the plane is “the go-to selection for governments in search of to modernize their capabilities […] amid rising geopolitical tensions.”
IAI’s president and CEO Boaz Levy recognized “world-class, field-proven” AEW and particular mission plane applied sciences like “sensor miniaturization and superior AESA radar expertise, coupled with superior detection and classification capabilities that allow success even in probably the most difficult missions.” A fact-sheet by L3Harris says the Israeli system is a dual-band system with GaN (Gallium Nitride) expertise.
ROKAF E-737 Peace Eye (64-700) PUS/RKPK April 2023 pic.twitter.com/7WnwANCrhV
— Andrei (@Andrei32989622) Could 3, 2023
Jin Kyu Lim, Head of Aerospace Division, Korean Air mentioned: “All through this collaboration, Korean Air will strengthen its capabilities in modification, integration and upkeep for the most recent particular mission plane.” Korean Air may also lead “working and sustaining” the 4 packages sooner or later, “together with assembly any future manufacturing necessities.”
