Bombardier to supply Global 6500s for South Korean EW aircraft programme

This artist's rendering shows the standoff jammer aircraft concept proposed by Korean Air and LIG Nex1 for South Korea's ‘Block I Electronic Warfare (EW) System Development Project'. (LIG Nex1/Korean Air)

Bombardier Defence has won a contract from Korean Air to supply two Global 6500 long-range business jets for South Korea's electronic warfare (EW) aircraft programme.

Korean Air formalised the aircraft purchase at a signing ceremony in Seoul, Bombardier Defence said on 14 July. Neither company disclosed the contract value.

South Korea's ‘Block I Electronic Warfare (EW) System Development Project' aims to deliver four airborne EW platforms to the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF), providing a capability similar to the US Air Force's (USAF's) EA-37B ‘Compass Call' EW fleet.

In December, LIG Nex1 received a KRW1.56 trillion (USD1 billion) contract from South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to develop the aircraft. Korean Air is the programme's systems integrator.

The two aircraft on order will perform a Stand Off Jammer (SOJ) mission, with the disruption of enemy electromagnetic signals from a safe distance, according to Bombardier Defence.

A concept model of the SOJ platform proposed by LIG Nex1 and Korean Air showed a Global 6500 with conformal ‘cheek' side fairings, likely housing EW equipment and an active electronically scanned array (AESA) system.

Korean Air has previously said the Block I aircraft will feature a modified cockpit, a dorsal jammer antenna behind the cockpit area, and another towards the rear of the fuselage. The concept model also included a ventral canoe fairing, likely housing a signals intelligence (SIGINT) system with a direction-finding capability to geolocate targets at long range.