Raytheon has been awarded a contract to support the upgrade of the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF) KF-16C/D Block 52 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft fleet.
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Awarded by Bae Systems, the contract covers supply of an integrated solution comprising Raytheon advanced combat radar (RACR), ALR-69A all-digital radar warning receiver, and advanced mission computing technology and weapon systems integration for the 130 KF-16C/D Block 52 fleet.
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Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems International Strategy and Business Development vice-president Jim Hvizd said the competitive selection of RACR by South Korea last year gave the company an important foothold in the international F-16 upgrade market.
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"The addition of our EW and mission computing expertise and our weapon systems integration will provide the Republic of Korea with an operationally superior solution that will keep their KF-16s relevant for years to come," Hvizd said.
Apart from making South Korea the first international customer for F-16 RACR radar, the contract also adds the aircraft to an inventory of fighters retrofitted with Raytheon active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, such as F-15C, F-15E, F/A-18E/F and the EA-18G Growler.
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Already built and test-flown on the F-16, the RACR is a compact, lightweight and scalable radar designed to enable pilots to simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple air and surface targets in the battlefield.
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The contract’s value and additional details, including delivery schedule, remain undisclosed.
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Powered by F100-PW-229 engines, the KF-16 is a Korean version of the combat proven F-16 fighter, and was built by Korean Aerospace Industries (Kai) under license from its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, in the 1990s.
Image: Two ROKAF KF-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft take off from Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. Photo: courtesy of USAF senior airman Gustavo Gonzalez.