South Korea orders F-35 fighter munitions
South Korea signed a contract to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin F-35As in 2014. (Photo: US Air Force/DoD)
The US has greenlit a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to South Korea, entailing a package of F-35 ammunition valued at around $271 million.
The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to South Korea for F-35 ammunition for about US$271 million.
The Republic of Korea has requested to buy 39 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), two AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM Guidance Sections, 88 KMU-556 Tail Kits for the GBU-31v1 Joint Direct-Attack Munition (JDAM) and other munitions.
The potential sale, the US DoD said, will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the US by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region.
If received, the ordered equipment will improve South Korea’s capability to meet threats by providing its F-35 fighter fleet with a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions.
Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Boeing will be the principal contractors.
South Korea signed a contract to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin F-35As through the FX-3 FMS programme for $7 billion in 2014, which had all been delivered as of December 2021.
In July 2022, the South Korean defence agency announced its support for the purchase of 20 more F-35s to add to its existing numbers as part of the South Koreas F-X 'kill chain' project. If approved, South Korea would expect delivery to be complete by 2030. The new fighters will be under block variant four, whereas the previous 40 are variant three.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance]()
Trump’s drone directives win US industry support but questions remain over ability to challenge Chinese market dominance
New presidential directives for UAV production are intended to remove bureaucratic barriers and support suppliers.
-
![Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training]()
Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training
In Conversation... Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to CAE's Marc-Olivier Sabourin about how the training and simulation industry can help militaries achieve essential levels of readiness by leveraging new technology, innovative procurement methods and a truly collaborative approach.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: New capabilities, partnerships and next-gen programmes remain priority for industry]()
Paris Air Show 2025: New capabilities, partnerships and next-gen programmes remain priority for industry
As European countries increase their defence budgets, the Paris Air Show will look to how the aerospace industry’s responds, with programme progression, new technology and industrial partnerships all expected to take centre stage at Le Bourget.
-
![Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution]()
Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution
The solution, named HTeaming, has already been tested in flight with a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and an Airbus Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS).
