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LIG Nex1 inks $1B deal to develop Korea's first dedicated electronic warfare aircraft

Published: 25 Dec. 2025, 12:57 Updated: 25 Dec. 2025, 17:07

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

A render of LIG Nex1's electronic warfare aircraft system proposed to the Korean Air Force [LIG NEX1]

Defense firm LIG Nex1 signed a 1.56 trillion won ($1.07 billion) contract to develop the country’s first dedicated electronic warfare (EW) aircraft on Wednesday.

The formalized deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, revealed through an electronic disclosure, will have LIG Nex1 as the prime contractor to complete the EW aircraft system development by June 2034.

The defense firm, partnered with Korean Air, will modify a Bombardier business jet to carry a stand-off jammer capable of neutralizing enemy radar, command networks and collecting intelligence from a safe distance.

The need for a standalone EW aircraft rose in recent years to effectively counter North Korea’s jamming attempts.

Currently, the South Korean armed forces do not have a dedicated EW for reconnaissance and jamming purposes. Instead, the Air Force has been utilizing passive reconnaissance aircraft like the Baekdu and an EW suite installed onto fighter jets for self-defense capabilities.

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

The consortium between LIG Nex1 and Korean Air was competing against a bid by Korea Aerospace Industries and Hanwha Systems, prevailing in September.

“We will mobilize our full company-wide capabilities to ensure the successful development of the EW aircraft system, a project of national importance,” LIG Nex1 said.

Two EW standoff jammer aircraft, known as Block-I, will be developed and delivered to the Air Force. The Block-II will consist of two extra EW aircraft with upgraded capabilities.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]