[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] F-15K to Share IFF Information with the US Only in 2025

On the 27th, an F-15K fighter jet is landing at the media day for the 71st Armed Forces Day commemorative event held at Daegu Air Force Base. Photo by Kim Hyun-min, Daegu kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] It appears that starting next year, the Air Force F-15K fighter jets will not be able to share friend-or-foe identification information with the U.S. military during combined ROK-U.S. exercises. This is because the versions of the friend-or-foe identification equipment used in the weapon systems by South Korea and the U.S. do not match, making it difficult to share information that distinguishes between enemy and friendly forces.

According to the military on the 27th, the U.S. plans to replace the friend-or-foe identification equipment in all weapon systems from Mode-4 to Mode-5 starting at the end of this year. Mode-4 is vulnerable to jamming countermeasures that interfere with security and the performance of electronic devices. The U.S. notified the ROK military of the Mode-5 transition policy 10 years ago in 2010 through the ROK-U.S. Command and Control Interoperability Committee. If the modes of the friend-or-foe identification equipment do not match, information sharing between South Korea and the U.S. is practically difficult.

However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff overlooked this issue until the Board of Audit and Inspection pointed it out in 2014, after which they pushed for performance upgrades and began a feasibility study in 2017. When the introduction of the friend-or-foe identification equipment was delayed, the Joint Chiefs requested the U.S. to postpone the Mode-5 transition schedule in 2015, but this was rejected.

In March, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) under the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the State Department approved the sale of Mode-5 friend-or-foe identification devices to South Korea for KF-16 fighter jets and others. Accordingly, South Korea is expected to be able to purchase the latest Mode-5 friend-or-foe identification devices and real-time tactical data network Link-16 (TDL). The total sale amount is $194 million (approximately 237.4 billion KRW).

However, the installation of Mode-5 on South Korean military weapon systems will not be possible until at least after 2022. As a result, even if combined ROK-U.S. exercises are conducted from next year, it will be difficult to share information that distinguishes enemy from friendly forces.

The number of weapon systems in the ROK military that need to be equipped with Mode-5 friend-or-foe identification devices reaches 101. Among these, 73 air, landing, airborne, and defense forces, including intelligence ships which are key intelligence assets against North Korea, will not be able to install Mode-5, inevitably blocking information sharing between South Korea and the U.S.

On the 26th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held the 127th Defense Acquisition Promotion Committee meeting and announced that the Air Force F-15K fighter jets will be equipped with the combined tactical data link (Link-16) equipment that can prevent jamming and enable secure communication. DAPA stated that to negotiate quickly and smoothly according to the required performance for the transition to Mode-5 friend-or-foe identification equipment, they will change the negotiation initiation conditions and conclude the contract within this year. However, equipment changes are expected to be possible only after 2025.

A military official said, "Mode-5 is one of several devices for friend-or-foe identification," and added, "We are devising measures to minimize the gap in friend-or-foe identification equipment."