Seoul moves closer to MPA decision
Seoul is moving closer to a decision for new maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to bolster its anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
According to an unsourced report from official news agency Yonhap, the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administraion (DAPA) has decided to obtain six aircraft, though it gave no timeframe and did not specify the type of aircrat it will buy.
At the Seoul ADEX defence show in October 2017, Boeing promoted its P-8A Poseidon and Saab promoted its Swordfish MPA.
Airbus Defence & Space sent its C295 MPA to South Korea during a 2017 demonstration tour. Airbus used the Singapore Air Show this week to moot the possibility of an A320neo converted for missions such as VIP transport, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and maritime patrol.
The new aircraft would add to Seoul’s fleet of 16 P-3Cs, which have undergone modernisation of their sensors and avionics.
