Two P-8A Poseidon aircraft of the US Navy. Credit: US Navy / Mass Communication specialist second class Kegan E Kay.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a possible foreign military sale (FMS) of a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to the Republic of Korea for an estimated cost of $2.10bn.

Under the proposed deal, Korea has requested for the acquisition of six P-8A Poseidon military surveillance aircraft, which would include nine multifunctional information distribution system joint tactical radio systems 5 (MIDS JTRS 5), 14 LN-251 with embedded global positioning systems (GPS) / inertial navigations systems (INS), and 42 AN / AAR-54 missile warning sensors.

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Approved by the US State Department, the possible sale also involves the delivery of commercial engines, tactical open mission software (TOMS), electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IO) MX-20HD, AN / AAQ-2(V)1 acoustic system, AN / APY-10 radar, ALQ-240 electronic support measures, and AN / ALE-47 countermeasures dispensing system.

The provision of software, engineering and logistics technical assistance, and contractor engineering technical services, in addition to other related training, logistics, support equipment and services are also included in the FMS.

“The acquisition of the new equipment will enable the Korean Navy to upgrade and sustain its maritime surveillance capability for the next 30 years.”

The new P-8A jets will help replace the US-built P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that has been deployed with the Republic of Korea Navy for more than 25 years now.

The acquisition of the new equipment will enable the Korean Navy to upgrade and sustain its maritime surveillance capability for the next 30 years.

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The proposed deal will also help support the US foreign policy and national security objectives.

Boeing will serve as the principal contractor for the sale.

Additional contractors will include BAE Systems, General Dynamics, General Electric, Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Rockwell Collins, among several other companies.

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