Eurofighter to power Korean industries

A number of aircraft have arrived in Korea for the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) with hopes of patrolling over the Korean Peninsula. Among them, the Eurofighter Typhoon, a multi-role fighter jet from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), is making headlines at the biannual fair, being fully armed with cutting-edge weapons including air-to-ground Taurus, air-to-air Meteor and anti-tank Brimstone missiles.

Ahead of an expected re-tender of the country’s F-X III project to acquire 60 highly-advanced combat planes, the four-nation consortium EADS and its aircraft are set to offer a strategic partnership to address Korean needs in not only the defense sector but also industry.

In September, the government rejected Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle as the winner of the F-X III and is seeking various ways to complete the long-delayed fighter requirement program. In the competition, the Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon is pitted against Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II and the Boeing product.

EADS, comprised of Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (U.K.), is stressing that its fighter jet is the only one in operation among the three bidders, having more than 200,000 flying hours, and being combat-proven in Syria.

Currently, Eurofighter has 719 aircraft on contract and since entry-into-service in 2004, more than 380 aircraft have been delivered to six countries ― the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia ― and Oman will become the seventh customer to fly the Eurofighter from 2017.

The Tranche 3 that was offered to the Korean Air Force is seen as one of the most advanced new generation swing-role and multi-role combat aircrafts as it is equipped with the most-advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, Helmet Mounted Symbology System (HMSS) and Meteor and Taurus missiles.

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