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Key Points: South Korea has approved a $3.2 billion plan to upgrade its 59 F-15K Slam Eagle fighters, aiming to enhance their capabilities until 2040.

-The upgrades focus on aviation electronics, replacing the older radar with Raytheon’s AN/APG-82(v)1 AESA radars and upgrading mission computers and electronic warfare systems.

-Rising labor and material costs have increased the project budget by $697 million.

-The U.S. State Department approved the sale of these upgrades, highlighting their importance for regional stability and interoperability with U.S. forces.

-Contractors Boeing and Raytheon will spearhead the project, ensuring South Korea’s air defense remains robust against evolving threats.

South Korea to Upgrade its F-15K Slam Eagle Fleet

On Tuesday, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced the plan to upgrade the nation’s fleet of Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle multirole fighter aircraft had been approved at the 165th meeting of the committee at the Ministry of National Defense (MND) meeting.

The move followed the political turmoil brought on by the short-lived declaration of martial law by now-impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol last week.

The DAPA Committee agreed to support the upgrade of the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (RoKAF’s) 59 F-15Ks, even as the costs had increased by 1 trillion won ($697 million) due to higher labor and material costs in the nation’s defense industry.

Total costs for the project are now estimated to be 4.56 trillion won ($3.2 billion), approximately 77 billion won per aircraft. The budget for the enhancements had been previously set at 3.46 trillion when it was first discussed two years ago.

F-15K Image: Creative Commons.

“The increase is attributed to the reshaping of supply chains in the defense industry, driven by the shrinking number of manufacturers, as well as rising labor and material costs in the aircraft manufacturing sector,” DAPA said in a statement to the media.

Primarily operated by the RoKAF, the F-15K Slam Eagle is a variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle, the all-weather strike fighter derived from the original McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle more than 40 years ago.

The twin-seat F-15K made its maiden flight in March 2005, and the service life for the current fleet is expected to last until at least 2040. The first two Slam Eagles were delivered to South Korea at the 2005 Seoul Air Show, and deliveries of a second batch were completed in April 2012.

Improving the F-15K

The upgrades will primarily focus on improving the aviation electronics systems of the Slam Eagles, which South Korea has operated since 2005.

“The potential package included 70 Raytheon AN/APG-82 (v)1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, 96 Advanced Display Core Processor II mission system computers, and 70 BAE Systems AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability Systems. Also included was a range of other equipment, spares, and services,” Flight Global reported.

The enhancement would replace the current mechanically pivoting radar, which could allow the aircraft to process information by as much as 1,000 times faster, while it would also increase the computer system’s memory, and see the partially automatic electronic warfare system upgraded to a fully automated platform.

F-15E

A pair of heritage painted F-15E Strike Eagles assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing conduct aerial maneuvers over southern England June 9, 2019. The Liberty Wing conducts routine training daily to ensure the 48th Fighter Wing brings unique air combat capabilities to the fight when called upon by United States Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew)

The U.S. State Department approved the sale of the F-15K equipment and services to Seoul in November. Boeing and Raytheon are the primary contractors.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region,” the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced. “This proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its critical air defense capability to deter aggression in the region and to ensure interoperability with U.S. forces.”

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.