Home > Business > Industry

As North Korean jamming threat grows, South's Air Force ups its electronic warfare game

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 08:53 Updated: 17 Sep. 2025, 18:08

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail electronic warfare (EW) aircraft, center, alongside a United States Navy EA-18G Growler, an EW aircraft based on the F/A-18F Super Hornet, flies over Guam on Feb. 10. [AFP/YONHAP]

North Korea’s GPS signal jamming has disrupted nearly 5,000 airplanes and 1,000 ships over the past 300 days, and forced down at least three of the South Korean Navy’s unmanned camcopters, according to government data.

The South Korean government believes that electronic warfare (EW) aircraft — designed to detect, disrupt and neutralize enemy signals such as radar and GPS — could emerge as a key future tactical asset. At the cornerstone of the initiative is an ongoing 1.78 trillion won ($1.29 billion) bid led by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), which is expected to select a preferred bidder later this month.

GPS jamming attacks disrupt the reception of data from satellites, making it difficult to obtain accurate locational data. According to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT revealed by People Power Party lawmaker Kang Dae-sik, North Korea sent GPS interference waves across the Northern Limit Line (NLL) every single day between Oct. 2 last year and Aug. 26.

A Royal Australian Air Force EA-18G Growler fires flares during a display at the Australian International Airshow in Avalon on March 26. [AFP/YONHAP]

The importance of EW aircraft

An EW aircraft — either a retrofitted aircraft based on commercial jets or a purpose-built plane — is a state-of-the-art, specialized platform designed to detect enemy electromagnetic spectrum usage and deny, disrupt and destroy signals, while protecting friendly waves from the air. The electromagnetic spectrum encompasses everything from radio communications and Wi-Fi to weapon guidance and signal intelligence.

South Korea's Air Force currently lacks such aircraft. The Air Force’s EW capability, with its fleets of Baekdu and Geumgang aircraft based on Falcon and Dassault Hawker business jets, is limited primarily to passive roles, focusing on gathering enemy information instead of nullifying their jamming attempts. Instead, U.S. Air Force EW aircraft deployed to Korea, such as the EC-130H Compass Call, play that role.

But the significance of electronic warfare is higher than ever — Russia and Ukraine are waging not only a flesh-and-blood war, but also an unmanned one, with each side using drones and other unmanned vehicles for reconnaissance, defenses and offenses. Although neither side has deployed dedicated EW aircraft, intercepting and jamming radio signals that control the unmanned weaponry have been crucial to the battle. Up to 75 percent of Russian and Ukrainian drones were disabled by jamming signals as of 2024, according to the Telegraph, citing military expert Pavlo Narozhny.

"Jamming signals severely affect military operations — not just drone operations, but also friendly communications, radar and GPS usage," Professor Lee Woo-kyung, an expert in radar systems, drone and synthetic aperture radar systems at Korea Aerospace University, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

If the Korean Air Force were to acquire a dedicated EW aircraft, it would take on missions to detect North Korean jamming signals and their point of origin. The aircraft could then perform antijamming tasks to defeat the incoming interference signals.

The DAPA, responsible for the procurement of equipment for the Korean military, began the 1.78 trillion project to locally develop and deploy four EW aircraft for the Korean Air Force. The plan involves developing a Block-I aircraft and the first two EW standoff jammers by 2034, followed by a Block-II platform that adds system upgrades, including artificial intelligence.

Korea Aerospace Industries' rendered image of its electronic warfare aircraft [KOREA AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES]

The two consortia

Two teams, consisting of four big-name firms in the local defense industry, have locked horns over the EW aircraft bid: Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has partnered with Hanwha Systems, while LIG Nex1 has allied with Korean Air. KAI, with its experience in aircraft development and production, will lead the bid to integrate Hanwha’s electronics. In contrast, LIG Nex1, a maker of various weapon systems, will lead the competition, leveraging its expertise in aircraft conversion and maintenance, paired with Korean Air's experience.

KAI is best known for manufacturing the KF-21 jet fighter, Korea’s first supersonic 4.5-generation fighter. The company, based on its previous experience in designing airplanes, trainers, and fighter jets, as well as manufacturing airplane parts, claims to have advantages in system integration. KAI also advertises its past success in receiving airworthiness certificates, including for the T-50 jet trainers and Surion helicopters. The firm also won the Baekdu-II bid in 2021 to upgrade the Air Force’s Baekdu intelligence and surveillance aircraft.

In a press release, KAI called itself an "irreplaceable company if Korea wants to develop its own EW aircraft without the help of other nations," pointing out Korean Air and how it has worked with U.S. firms to develop systems.

KAI is also promoting tight integration with its KF-21 and the planned KF-21EX, a fifth-generation stealth fighter in the pipeline, as Hanwha Systems supplies the KF-21's AESA radar.

Conversely, LIG Nex1 focuses on the importance of electronic warfare hardware and software experiences over aircraft design experience, as the Korean Air Force’s EW aircraft is proposed to be based on an existing commercial plane. The company was not only in charge of the KF-21’s EW suite but is currently developing the naval EW suite for the Korean Navy. Korean Air, too, boasts experience in modifying commercial airliners, in addition to its conversion experience with the Baekdu-I.

"LIG was involved in both the original development of the Baekdu, its upgrade program and the EW suite for the KF-21," the company said. "We have the know-how of maximizing EW performance."