South Korea clears multibillion-dollar buy of more F-35s, SM-6 missile

MELBOURNE, Australia — The South Korean government has approved its military to acquire more fifth-generation stealth fighters , while also starting the process to acquire the SM-6 ship-launched interceptor, according to the country’s arms procurement agency.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, said the Defense Project Promotion Committee approved a $2.85 billion plan to buy more Lockheed Martin-made F-35A fighter jets . South Korea is to receive the aircraft by 2028.

DAPA did not state how many more F-35As the military will acquire under the latest plan, although South Korea received the U.S. State Department’s approval for 60 F-35As in 2013 and has already ordered 40.

The committee also gave approval for the first of a two-phase, $582.8 million plan to acquire the Raytheon Technologies-made SM-6 air defense missile to equip a second batch of KDX-III destroyers equipped with the Aegis weapons system. The missiles will be used for air defense and to counter ballistic missiles for the 8,200-ton ships, which currently operate the SM-2.

South Korea has three KDX-III destroyers from its first batch, which are also known as Sejong the Great-class ships, in service with its Navy. The ROKS Jeongjo the Great, which will be the lead ship of the second batch, was launched in July 2022 and is expected to enter service in 2024.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry also confirmed it still wants to develop an aircraft carrier. The local SBS news outlet reported that the ministry responded to inquiries from a parliamentarian that it will soon start feasibility studies into the prospects of building a 50,000-ton design.

The ministry had told Jung Sung-ho, who sits on the parliament’s National Defense Committee, that it would also be possible to develop a carrierborne variant of the KF-21 fighter, locally made by Korean Aerospace Industries, within a decade if the government allocates sufficient funding.

South Korea previously floated the idea of developing a 30,000-ton class carrier for operating the F-35B, the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. But a larger ship from which the KF-21 could operate means the military can conduct flight operations using catapults for aircraft launches and arrested landings.

This would be a more complex and expensive system than F-35B carrier operations, and it is expected the ministry will make a decision by the end of this year about whether to proceed with the program and which option it will pursue.

South Korea is technically still at war with its nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea , having only signed an armistice agreement. The North has continued to develop its ballistic and cruise missile programs , and frequently test-fires these into the waters around the Korean Peninsula.

Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News.

澳大利亚墨尔本——据韩国武器采购机构称，韩国政府已批准其军方采购更多第五代隐形战斗机，同时启动了采购SM-6舰载拦截导弹的程序。

美国国防采办计划管理局（DAPA）表示，国防项目推进委员会已批准一项价值28.5亿美元的计划，用于采购更多洛克希德·马丁公司生产的F-35A战斗机。韩国将于2028年接收这批战机。

尽管韩国在 2013 年获得了美国国务院批准购买 60 架 F-35A 战斗机，并且已经订购了 40 架，但 DAPA 并未说明根据最新计划韩国军方将再采购多少架 F-35A 战斗机。

委员会还批准了一项分两阶段进行、耗资5.828亿美元的计划的第一阶段，该计划旨在采购雷神技术公司生产的SM-6防空导弹，用于装备第二批已配备宙斯盾武器系统的KDX-III型驱逐舰。这些导弹将用于防空和拦截弹道导弹，以保护目前使用SM-2导弹的8200吨级驱逐舰。

韩国海军目前已服役三艘首批KDX-III型驱逐舰，该型舰也被称为“世宗大王”级。第二批首舰“正祖大王”号于2022年7月下水，预计将于2024年服役。

韩国国防部也证实，仍计划研制航空母舰。当地SBS新闻报道称，国防部在回应国会议员的询问时表示，将很快启动建造5万吨级航母的可行性研究。

国防部曾告诉国会国防委员会成员郑成浩，如果政府拨出足够的资金，韩国航空航天工业公司自主研发的KF-21战斗机的舰载型也可以在十年内研制出来。

韩国此前曾提出建造一艘3万吨级航母，用于搭载F-35B——联合攻击战斗机的短距起飞/垂直降落型。但如果建造一艘更大的航母，KF-21战斗机就能从中起降，这意味着韩国军方可以利用弹射器进行飞机起飞和拦阻着陆等飞行作业。

这将是一个比 F-35B 航母作战更复杂、更昂贵的系统，预计国防部将在今年年底前决定是否继续推进该计划以及将采取哪种方案。

从技术上讲，韩国仍与其拥有核武器的邻国朝鲜处于战争状态，双方仅签署了停战协定。朝鲜继续发展其弹道导弹和巡航导弹计划，并频繁在朝鲜半岛附近海域进行试射。

Mike Yeo 是《防务新闻》的亚洲通讯员。