Boeing wins $2.8bn F-15K upgrade contract for ROKAF
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a $2.8bn FMS contract to modernise South Korea’s F-15K fleet, covering system design and long-term upgrades through 2037.
DAPA News
Air
Modernisation
Air
Engine and Transmission
DAPA Signs Deal with Hanwha on F414 Engines for KF-21 FRP
DAPA has signed a deal with Hanwha Aerospace for the acquisition of locally assembled F414-GE-400K engines for 40 KF-21 fighters’ full-rate production.
Unmanned Systems
Minister of ROK’s DAPA Visits Baykar’s Head Facility
ROK’s Defence Acquisition and Programme Administration (DAPA) Minister, H.E. Seok Jong-gun, visited Baykar’s Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Centre.
Weapon / Missile
ROK Reveals Hyunmoo-V IRBM
The Hyunmoo-V Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), ROK's new strategic asset, was unveiled with its 18x18 launcher vehicle.
Land
Engine and Transmission
BMC Power Sends Engines to the Arifiye Production Line
BATU tank engine for Altay and UTKU engine for Fırtına 155 mm SPGs alongside transmissions were sent to the production line in Arifiye.
Weapon / Missile
ROK’s Mobile Laser Weapon Moves into Production
DAPA has announced that its vehicle-mounted laser weapon, which will be used against UAVs, will enter production soon.
Navy / Maritime
ROK's Second KSS-III Batch-II Submarine Laid Down
ROK's DAPA has announced the keel laying ceremony for the second KSS-III Batch-II SLBM-capable submarine.
Air
The Republic of Korea Air Force to retire F-4E jets in 2024
The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) prepares to retire legacy F-4E jets in June 2024. Four aircraft conducted the fleet's final flight on 9 May 2024.
Navy / Maritime
ROK Approves FFX Batch IV Frigates
The Republic of Korea's DAPA announced on April 26, 2024, that the FFX Batch IV programme had been approved.
Air
ROK Accuses Indonesia of Stealing KF-21 Boramae’s Data
ROK Accuses Indonesia of Stealing KF-21 Boramae’s Data as two engineers are being probed over suspicions that they attempted to steal KF-21 jet technologies.
Unmanned Systems
Korea to Start Serial UAV Production
Republic of Korea’s defence authorities endorsed a plan to mass-produce MALE UAV through 2028 to bolster the Air Force’s ISR capabilities, DAPA said.
Air
Korean KF-21 Fighter Jet Makes First Supersonic Flight
The KF-21 Boramae, the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) first domestically developed fighter jet, reached supersonic speed for the first time.
Air
Weapon / Missile
Korea Develops Naval Airborne Mine Warfare System
DAPA has signed a contract with KAI to research and develop efforts for airborne mine countermeasures systems.
Weapon / Missile
DAPA Completes Development of TAipers Anti-Tank Missile
DAPA has announced that the development of TAipers (Tank Snipers), or Cheongeom anti-tank missiles, has been completed.
Navy / Maritime
HHI to Build ROKN’s Third KDX-III Batch II Jeongjo Destroyer
DAPA has awarded a contract to build the third KDX-III Batch II Jeongjo, the Great-class AEGIS guided missile destroyer, to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
Weapon / Missile
Korea's KF-21 Boramae to Conduct Deep Strike Missions
ROK continues to study ROKAF's KF-21 Boramae Program and related weapons. Korea expects next-generation strike capability with a new deep strike weapon.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 12:00 Italy gives conditional approval to Leonardo-Baykar drone venture - Reuters reported that Italy has conditionally approved the Leonardo–Baykar joint venture to produce...
- 12:00 USNI looks at Türkiye’s defence-industrial rise through EFES 2026 - USNI News used the EFES 2026 exercise to examine how Türkiye is linking operational military activit...
- 12:00 Reuters tracks Ankara’s goal of doubling defence exports - Reuters reported that Turkish officials want to double defence exports within two years after export...
- 12:00 Breaking Defense highlights Turkish one-way attack systems at SAHA 2026 - Breaking Defense reported that Turkish companies used SAHA 2026 to unveil multiple one-way attack sy...
- 12:00 Defense News spotlights ASELSAN’s autonomous warfare concept - Defense News reported that ASELSAN used SAHA 2026 to present a future warfare concept centred on aut...
- 12:00 Le Monde examines Türkiye’s expanding defence footprint in Mali - Le Monde reported that Türkiye has become an increasingly important security partner for Mali throug...
- 12:00 French strategic study identifies Türkiye as a rising European supplier - The Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique assessed Türkiye as one of the most notable new entrants...
- 12:00 Middle East Forum analyses Baykar’s expansion into Europe - A Middle East Forum analysis argued that Baykar’s growing presence in Europe shows how production ca...
- 12:00 Jerusalem Post highlights Baykar’s export-heavy revenue model - The Jerusalem Post reported that Baykar generated roughly $1.8 billion in drone exports in 2024 and...
- 12:00 Foreign defence reporting keeps focus on KAAN’s next prototype phase - International defence coverage continued to highlight Turkish Aerospace’s target for the first ‘true...
- 09:00 NATO pushes allies to fill US air and naval capability gaps - Washington is pressing European allies and Canada to provide more manned and unmanned aircraft plus...
- 09:00 AI-driven drone swarms rise as a new NATO planning priority - NATO officials are warning that AI-enabled drone swarms could reshape warfare within five years, pus...
- 09:00 Counter-drone demand expands beyond battlefields into critical infrastructure - Growing drone incursions around airports, ports, oil facilities and data centres are accelerating de...
- 09:00 Europe’s loyal wingman race becomes a core airpower trend - Collaborative combat aircraft took centre stage at Berlin Airshow 2026 as European companies and air...
- 09:00 Ukraine’s drone combat know-how is becoming an export asset in Asia - Ukrainian drone firms are marketing battlefield-proven systems and swarm concepts in Japan, Taiwan a...
- 09:00 NATO accelerates live testing of counter-drone technologies - Alliance members and industry partners are expanding field trials of drone detection and interceptio...
- 09:00 Hypersonic threats keep driving demand for persistent tracking networks - The spread of hypersonic weapons continues to push Western defence planners toward integrated radar...
- 09:00 Military space resilience shifts toward larger distributed constellations - Armed forces are increasingly favouring proliferated satellite constellations over a small number of...
- 09:00 Autonomous maritime systems gain importance in surveillance and strike planning - Navies are broadening interest in autonomous surface and underwater systems for persistent ISR, infr...
- 09:00 Industrial surge capacity is becoming a decisive defence metric - Across missiles, drones and air defence, governments are placing more weight on production scalabili...
