Korea Aerospace Industries taps another European missile supplier

SINGAPORE — Korea Aerospace Industries has secured another European missile supplier with the signature of a cooperation agreement with German arms manufacturer Diehl Defence that will see the integration of the IRIS-T missile into the FA-50 and KF-21 combat aircraft.

Announced on the eve of the Singapore Airshow , organized here from Feb. 20-23, the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two companies builds on a previous deal inked in 2021.

“The purpose of the agreement is the joint goal to integrate the IRIS-T missile into the FA-50/T-50 and KF-21 Block II aircraft – it confirms the intention of both companies to investigate cooperation potential as previously announced in an earlier agreement during ADEX 2021,” the Diehl press release said.

The pact will also spur the formation of working groups to further market KAI platforms fitted with Diehl missiles as well as the possibility to develop additional weapons for Korea’s aircraft programs.

Last November, KAI scored another European missile supplier, with the signature of a collaboration agreement with MBDA to integrate the company’s Meteor missile into the Korean KF-21 Boromae fighter.

Meanwhile, Diehl executives are looking to tap into the Asian market more broadly, including the naval armaments sector.

For example, the German vendor is looking to sell its MIND76 ammunition to countries in the region, said marketing and sales executive Carsten Becker.

“We brought this one specifically along as most navies in the area operate 76mm guns on their ships,” he told Defense News at the show.

The MIND76 ammunition was initially developed with the help of the French Navy, after Diehl Defence was contracted in 2012 to develop a new 76mm naval ammunition for the forces to use in their Oto Melara Super Rapido L-62 naval guns.

Diehl is promoting the shells as specialized in fighting aerial targets, including drones.

“We are in the process of figuring out which ones and what types more precisely it could be most effective against,” Becker said.

Singapore’s Navy has embarked on a considerable modernization journey to improve its naval vessels and has looked to Germany as a key supplier.

Over the next five years, the city state has planned to activate four Invincible-class submarines built by German manufacturer ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. Also on tap are offshore patrol ships from German shipyard Fassmer at the start of 2028.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

新加坡——韩国航空航天工业公司与德国武器制造商迪尔防务公司签署合作协议，将IRIS-T导弹集成到FA-50和KF-21战斗机中，从而获得了另一家欧洲导弹供应商。

在2月20日至23日于新加坡举行的新加坡航展前夕宣布，两家公司签署的谅解备忘录建立在2021年签署的先前协议的基础上。

“该协议的目的是将 IRIS-T 导弹集成到 FA-50/T-50 和 KF-21 Block II 飞机上——这证实了两家公司有意探索合作潜力，正如之前在 ADEX 2021 期间达成的协议中所宣布的那样，”迪尔公司的新闻稿称。

该协议还将促使成立工作组，进一步推广配备迪尔导弹的韩国航空航天工业公司（KAI）平台，并有可能为韩国的飞机项目开发更多武器。

去年 11 月，KAI 与欧洲导弹供应商 MBDA 签署合作协议，将 MBDA 的“流星”导弹集成到韩国 KF-21“博罗迈”战斗机中，从而又获得了一家欧洲导弹供应商的支持。

与此同时，迪尔公司的高管们正寻求更广泛地开拓亚洲市场，包括海军武器领域。

例如，德国供应商正寻求向该地区的国家销售其 MIND76 弹药，市场营销和销售主管卡斯滕·贝克尔 (Carsten Becker) 表示。

“我们特意带来了这门炮，因为该地区的大多数海军都在舰艇上装备了76毫米炮，”他在展会上告诉《防务新闻》。

MIND76 弹药最初是在法国海军的帮助下开发的。2012 年，迪尔防务公司与法国海军签订合同，为法国海军的奥托梅莱拉超级快速 L-62 舰炮开发一种新的 76 毫米舰炮弹药。

迪尔公司正在宣传这些炮弹是专门用于打击空中目标，包括无人机。

“我们正在研究它对哪些种类和哪些类型的害虫最有效，”贝克尔说。

新加坡海军已启动一项意义重大的现代化进程，以改进其海军舰艇，并将德国视为主要供应商。

未来五年，这个城邦计划启用四艘由德国蒂森克虏伯海洋系统公司建造的“无敌”级潜艇。此外，从2028年初开始，还将交付由德国法斯默造船厂建造的近海巡逻舰。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。