Page 3 - SEOUL ADEX 2023 - DAY 1

IAI’s Heron MK II

On Target Under Adverse Weather Conditions

...Cont’d from PG 1 flights until 2026, when mass production of In April this year, the country’s Defence
Block 1 for the ROKAF is expected to com- Acquisition Programme Administration
Indonesia is a partner and is picking up 20 mence. As per reports, the 40 Block 1 jets (DAPA) announced that KAI had suc-
per cent of the developmental costs, but will be integrated with Diehl Defence AIM- cessfully test-fired an AIM-2000 InfraRed
delayed payments from Jakarta has led to 2000 (IRIS-T), Meteor, JDAM, LJDAM and Imaging System-Tail control (IRIS-T) mis-
concerns about its continued involvement the locally developed KGGB guided bomb. sile from the KF-21. In March, the company
in the programme. The initial production aircraft will be opti- launched the Meteor air-to-air missile from
mised for air-to-air combat and will have the fighter jet.
Reports indicate that Sheikh Mohamed Bin limited air-to-ground capabilities. Eighty
Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates Blk. 2 jets with full air-to-ground capability
(UAE), may be one of the high-profile visi- The KF-21 further opens export possibilities
tors to the show. It may be recalled that the will be delivered from 2028. According to for the South Korean defence industry. Even
UAE had promised to invest US$30 billion in reports, the service is also considering a though it lacks the stealth qualities of the
South Korean industries such as defence, Block 3 variant, one with stealth and joint-op- F-35, the aircraft is expected to be consid-
nuclear power, hydrogen and solar energy. eration capability as well as an enlarged
fuselage that could include an internal erably less expensive than the U.S.-made
The KF-21, a ‘4.5-generation’ multirole weapons bay. The Korean military also jet and will be an attractive proposition for
countries such as Thailand, the Philippines
platform, is slated to replace the Republic has plans to place hypersonic missiles, and Iraq that already are operating the
of Korea Air Force (RoKAF)’s ageing fleet which are currently in development, on the
of F-4D/E Phantom II and F-5E/F Tiger II combat jet. indigenously developed FA-50 light-at-
aircraft. The service is likely to acquire 40 tack fighter. According to reports, Poland,
which signed tank and howitzer contracts
KF-21s by 2028 and another 80 aircraft of The KF-21 can carry beyond-visual-range worth US$5.8 billion with two South Korean
Our Experience – Your Winning Solution the type by 2032. The twin-engine jets will missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship companies, is considering the KF-21 as an
come in single- and two-seat versions.
missiles, and precision-guided munitions. option for its planned purchase of multi-
As a multi-mission system, Heron MK-II is built for In April 2021, KAI unveiled the first KF-21 The jet’s operational range, estimated to role combat aircraft to secure the eastern
heavy lifting and carrying multiple payloads. With prototype. The homegrown supersonic be around 1,800 miles, allows it to conduct flank of NATO. In September last year, the
up to 45-hour endurance and a 35,000+ operational Meet us at fighter jet flew for the first time in July last long-range missions and perform air supe- European nation had signed a US$2.3 bil-
ceiling, flying day, night, and in adverse weather, BOOTH #C399 year. KAI’s fleet of six KF-21 prototypes are riority, ground attack, and reconnaissance lion contract to buy 48 FA-50 light combat
Heron MK-II uses multiple datalinks, satellite scheduled to conduct more than 2,000 test missions effectively. aircraft manufactured by KAI.
communications, a high level of automation, and
remote operation capability, enabling you to focus
on your mission. As IAI’s newest Unmanned Aerial
System (UAS), Heron MK-II, is backed by over Editorial Director Art Director
2,100,000 operational UAS flight hours, providing Vittorio Rossi Prudente Sudheesh Kularmunda
an all-in-one system fulfilling all your mission needs. PUBLISHED BY vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg Arun Sivasankaran sudheesh.kularmunda@gbp.com.sg
arun.sivasankaran@gbp.com.sg
www.iai.co.il • info.malat@iai.co.il Discover More Editorial Team Atul Chandra Sales Director
Jay Menon
Akshay Satyamurthy
jay.menon@gbp.com.sg atul.chandra@gbp.com.sg akshay.satyamurthy@gbp.com.sg
SEOUL ADEX 2023 OCTOBER-17-2023 3