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The article reports on South Korea's plans to retrofit an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s in 2010. The pending competition is expected to pose some challenges for the U.S. administration in terms of technology release. While Raytheon has already been cleared to offer its Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar AESA, Northrop Grumman is still awaiting U.S. approval for its Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR).

The article reports on the refusal by the U.S. government to allow South Korea to fit an advanced Selex radar to its FA-50 light fighter aircraft. The South Korean air force will probably have to rethink the role of FA-50 in its future force structure if lack of an adequate radar robs the aircraft of the ability to fight North Korean MiG-29 aircraft. The Korea Aerospace Industries FA-50 may have to be restricted to ground attack, and even then it will suffer from not having a modern radar with a synthetic aperture mode for high resolution.

The article offers information on Lockheed Martin's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system, which is being planned to be deployed in South Korea following a recent North Korean rocket launch. THAAD is a land-based element of the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, which is aimed to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The system comprises of interceptors, launchers, radar, a fire control unit.

Reports the purchase of TPS-117 radar systems from Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems by the Republic of South Korea. Description of the system; Provision of air-target coverage; Configuration of the antenna array and electronic shelter for transport.