The government of South Korea is under constant pressure from possible agressive moves from its neighbor to the north, and worries about a possible invasion. In addition, the government of South Korea feels itself endangered by the acquisition by the People’s Republic of China by the highly-capable Su-30MKK long range interceptor, and it is concerned that there might even be friction with Japan over the Dok To islands, which have significant petroleum reserves.
In response to these pressures, in 1997 the government of South Korea announced a competition for a long-range strike fighter, which they called the F-X. The strike fighter would have to be extremely capable, and the succeeding entry would have to offer a considerable level of technology transfer to Korean industries.
A Request for Information (RFI) was issued in late 1997, calling for a long-range strike fighter capable of carring a 15,000 pound weapons load and also capable of handling 9G loads. Contenders were the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Sukhoi SU-35, and a Korean adaptation of the Boeing Strike Eagle, designated F-15K. The ROKAF issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to these four manufacturers, which added a requirement for an up-to-date infrared search and track system.
In early 2002, the Korean government announced that the competition had been narrowed down to the Dassault Rafale Mk 2 and the F-15K. It had been reported that the RoKAF favored the Rafale because of its better maneuverability and latest generation of avionics, although the US was pushing very hard for the F-15K.
On April 19, 2002, it was announced that the government of South Korea had decided to choose the F-15K, and ordered 40 examples. Dassault immediately filed a court injunction in Seoul, disputing the selection process, which it claimed to be biased in favor of US interests. The Korean defense ministry responded that the selection was made on the basis of the F-15K’s multirole capability, payload, combat radius, performance, and the proven combat capability of the F-15E upon which the F-15K was based.
The General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan was selected as the powerplant for the F-15K. This makes the F-15K the only variant of the Eagle to use this engine operationally, although the General Electric engine was installed on a trial basis in a USAF F-15E in 1999. It is rated at 29,500 lb.s.t. with afterburning. It should give the F-15K a significantly better performance than other Strike Eagle variants. Samsung Aerospace will build this powerplant as part of the offset package.
The F-15K is the most sophisticated of the export Strike Eagles, and is in many respects superior even to the USAF versions of the Strike Eagle. It includes a lot of systems that were omitted from the other export models, and includes some systems that are not even available on the USAF F-15E. In addition, there are certain systems provided which are unique to South Korea’s needs. Several major components have been outsourced to Korean companies under an offset agreement, wherein Korean companies are responsible for 40 percent of production and 25 percent of assembly.
The F-15K is to carry the extremely capable Raytheon (formerly Hughes) APG-63(V)I radar, which is provided with additional sea surface search and ground moving target indicator modes. The US Department of Defense has also allowed the RoKAF to receive the APG-63(V)2 Active Electronically-Scanned Array radar, which could provide the F-15K with increased detection ranges, faster detection, and the ability to engage up to 8 targets simultaneously. The cockpit display is compatible with the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, which contains a magnetic head tracker with a display projected onto the pilot’s visor, providing a means by which sensors and weapons can be aimed by the pilot simply looking at them. Additional chaff and flare dispensers are carried, and the cockpit lighting compatible with night-vision goggles. An advanced display core processor replaces the central computer and multi-purpose display. The weapons hardpoints are wired with the MIL-STD 1760 databus, which makes it possible for the F-15K to carry and deliver GPS-guided weapons.
Since the F-15K is expected to have a significant antiship role in the event of war with North Korea, the F-15K is integrated with the AGM-84D Harpoon and the AGM-84E Stand-Off Land Attack Missile. The F-15K is also expected to have a significant air-to-air capability and will also be capable of carrying and firing the AIM-120C AMRAAM beyond visible range air-to-air missile, as well as the new AIM-9X latest-generation Sidewinder missile.
The F-15K will be able to carry the under-intake AN/AAQ-13 and AN/AAQ-14 tracking pods. The AN/AAQ-13 will provide infrared tracing and manual terrain following down to altitudes as low as 100 feet, and can generate FLIR video images on the pilot’s heads-up display. It is not sure if the terrain-following mode will be provided. The AN/AAQ-14 target trackin gand laser ranging pod will feature a FLIR sensor andmay have a missile boresight correlator to allow automatic handoff of targets. It features several air-to-air modes.
An advanced electronic countermeasures suite is provided, the most sophisticated of that carried by any FMS Strike Eagles. These include an improved microwave power module-equipped ALQ-135M ICMS. The ALR-36M radar warning receiver will be provided as an alternative to the troubled ALR-56C. The US Department of Defense has permitted South Korea to receive LANTIRN pods, with FLIR capability and terrain-following radar, and a FLIR laser targeting pod, plus a long range infrared search and track capability.
The F-15K flew flew in 2005. Deliveries began in 2005, with the last of the 40 aircraft of the inital order being delivered in 2008. On Apr 25, 2008, a second batch of 21 F-15Ks were ordered. The second batch differed from from the first batch in having Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229 (EEP) engines , license built by Samsung Techwin. By Jun 2011, 50 F-15Ks had been delivered.
Sources:
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Airscene Headlines, Air International, June 2002.
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Airscene Headlines, Air International, March 2002.
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Korean Strike Eagle–Sharper Claws for the ROKAF, Steve Davies, Air Forces Monthly, October 2002.
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Migrating Eagles–F-15 Foreign Military Sales Variants, Steve Davies, Air
International, May 2004.
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McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15E_Strike_Eagle
- E-mail from Vahe Demirjian on F-15K.
