Boeing delivered the third Peace Eye 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force May 16.
The aircraft was delivered ahead of schedule to ROKAF Base Gimhae, South Korea, the main operating base for the Peace Eye fleet. Peace Eye No. 3 is the second aircraft in the fleet to be modified into an AEW&C configuration by Korea Aerospace Industries at its facility in Sacheon.
“A key factor in our continuing success in delivering Peace Eye’s powerful capability is the close working relationship that exists among the Boeing team, the ROKAF, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and our Korean and U.S. industry partners,” said Randy Price, Boeing Peace Eye program manager.
The last Peace Eye aircraft being modified by KAI will be delivered to the ROKAF by the end of this year.
The Peace Eye program includes four 737 AEW&C aircraft, plus ground support segments for mission crew training, mission support and system maintenance. Five AEW&C aircraft are in operation for the government of Australia. Turkey’s first AEW&C aircraft is on plan for delivery later this year.
Based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 commercial airplane, the 737 AEW&C aircraft is designed to provide airborne-battle-management capability with an advanced multirole electronically scanned radar and state-of-the-art mission crew consoles that are able to track airborne and maritime targets simultaneously. The mission crew can direct offensive and defensive forces while maintaining continuous surveillance of the operational area.
