S. Korea to Arm KF-16s with JDAMs

The South Korean Air Force will fly upgraded KF-16 fighters carrying precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) by the end of the year, a military source here said May 5.The armament upgrade is part of the 2010-2014 arms acquisition and management plan being submitted soon to President Lee Myung-bak for approval, the source noted. The JDAM-equipped KF-16 fleet would be able to conduct surgical strikes against thousands of North Korean artillery pieces hidden in mountain caves and tunnels near the border with South Korea in case of an emergency, said the source privy to the Air Force's arms improvement plans. The KF-16 is the local designation for the F-16 C/D model of the Lockheed Martin-built Fighting Falcon. South Korea now operates an older fleet of 34 Block 32 F-16s purchased in the 1980s, as well as a newer fleet of 135 F-16s manufactured locally to the Block 52 standard from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s under a $5.5 billion licensing agreement. The upgrades will initially be applicable to a fleet of about 20 newer Block 52 models delivered from 2003 to 2004, he said. "The Air Force has been working together with the U.S. Air Force for the past years on improving the KF-16's computer systems, databases and cabling so that the aircraft will be able to carry a batch of advanced guided weapons, including JDAMs, AIM-9X tactical air-to-air missiles and GBU-24 laser-guided bombs," he said. To that end, the Air Force has been studying ways to downsize the 2,000-pound JDAM to 1,000 or 500 pounds so the KF-16s can operate the GPS-guided weapon more effectively, he said. "The upgrade works have almost been completed, as the KF-16 will be operational with JDAMs by year's end after ground and air-to-ground testing between July and August," the source said. Once deployed, the KF-16 fleet with JDAMs backed by long-range F-15K fighters will play a key role in neutralizing North Korea's long-range artillery systems deployed near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, he said. The JDAM GBU-31 is a guidance tail kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurate, adverse weather munitions. It enables employment of accurate air-to-surface weapons against high priority fixed and re-locatable targets. Guidance is facilitated through a tail control system and a GPS-aided internal navigation system. Its per-unit price is about $43,000. The bomb has a range of 24 kilometers and can strike within 13 meters of its target, according to Air Force officials here. It can penetrate up to 2.4 meters of concrete, they said.

Posted in: F-16,Fighter jet