[Exclusive] LIG Nex1 Secures 2 Trillion Won Electronic Warfare Aircraft Contract

Korean Air to Import and Modify Business Jets
Electronic Warfare Aircraft Boast a Jamming Range ROC of 250 km

LIG Nex1 has secured the contract for the development of electronic warfare aircraft. Electronic warfare aircraft are strategic weapons that neutralize enemy anti-aircraft radars using electronic equipment and jamming devices. By partnering with Korean Air, LIG Nex1 has outcompeted Hanwha Systems, which had teamed up with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

A government official stated, "We have decided to invest 1.9206 trillion won from next year until 2034 to develop electronic warfare aircraft, and LIG Nex1 has been selected as the final system integrator." It has been reported that the evaluation score difference between LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Systems was 4.5 points.

▲Why are electronic warfare aircraft necessary?= When fighter jets penetrate enemy territory, they face threats from air defense networks. These networks track fighter jets using anti-aircraft radars. Electronic warfare aircraft infiltrate enemy territory ahead of the fighter jets to neutralize these radars. In 2013, during the third phase of the next-generation fighter jet (FX) program, the South Korean military considered Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle. Boeing also proposed providing the US Navy's EF-18 (Growler) electronic warfare aircraft. However, when the Lockheed Martin F-35 was selected, the introduction of electronic warfare aircraft was scrapped.

The South Korean military is eager to acquire electronic warfare aircraft due to North Korea's "spider web" air defense network. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also assesses North Korea's air defense network density as among the highest in the world. North Korea is known to have established a four-layer air defense system around Pyongyang to counter the combined South Korea-US air force. North Korea possesses SA-5 (Gammon, high altitude) surface-to-air missiles with a maximum range of 260-300 km, SA-2 (Guideline, medium to high altitude) with a maximum range of 48 km, and SA-3 (Goa, low to medium altitude) with a maximum range of 13-35 km. It is estimated that North Korea has about 40 SA-5s, 140 SA-3s, and 180 SA-2s. Additionally, North Korea also possesses portable surface-to-air missiles such as the SA-7 (maximum range 3.7 km) and SA-16 (4.5 km). These air defense weapons were imported from Russia. These systems gained notoriety by shooting down the US U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane that scouted the Soviet mainland during the Cold War.

▲What accounts for half of the project budget?= The electronic warfare aircraft project is divided into the airframe and electronic warfare equipment. Korean Air is responsible for importing and modifying the airframe from overseas. Korean Air has chosen a business jet. Business jets can operate for extended periods at higher altitudes compared to propeller aircraft. Advanced countries also use business jets as the airframes for electronic warfare aircraft. The United States replaced all EC-130H electronic warfare aircraft, which were based on C-130 transport planes, with G550 business jets. The weight of the electronic warfare equipment was reduced from 8.1 tons to 3.6 tons, thereby increasing operational capability and endurance. The US Navy’s current EA-18G Growler is a modified F-18 fighter jet used as an electronic warfare aircraft.

China also equipped its Y-9 transport aircraft with electronic warfare equipment to create the Y-9G electronic warfare aircraft. However, at the Zhuhai Airshow in October 2021, China unveiled the J-16D, which uses a fighter jet airframe. The J-16D is a modified J-16 fighter jet with added electronic reconnaissance, communications jamming, and radar jamming devices, providing electronic attack capabilities.

LIG Nex1 has been in charge of the new Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft project. They have developed functions such as communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), and instrument intelligence (FISINT), which includes flame detection to determine whether a missile has actually been launched. The company has produced the ALQ-200, an airborne electronic warfare system, and has supplied integrated electronic warfare systems for the KF-21 fighter jet. According to the company, it possesses electronic warfare aircraft technology ranked among the top five in the world.

Electronic warfare involves collecting and analyzing enemy radio frequencies to identify targets for attack. To collect frequencies, intelligence-gathering capabilities are required. For real-time information sharing, data links and equipment to protect the airframe must be installed. LIG Nex1 believes it can fully develop the aircraft by leveraging the technology accumulated from previously developed equipment. The military is said to have set the required performance standard (ROC) for the jamming range of the electronic warfare aircraft at 250 km. If five to six such aircraft are deployed in an attack formation, it is believed they could instantly destroy North Korea's four-layer air defense network around Pyongyang. The US military’s EA-18G Growler reportedly has a jamming range of 150 km.

The military plans to produce a total of four electronic warfare aircraft under this project and deliver them to the Air Force. Two will be built as Block-1 basic models, and the other two are expected to be developed later as Block-2 models with enhanced performance. "Block" refers to the sequence of performance upgrades.