Speculation has arisen that during the summit scheduled for the end of this month between President Lee Jae-myung and U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. government will request an increase in defense spending and the purchase of American weapons. As the government struggles with its response strategy, there are calls to prioritize the review of the latest weapons integrated with artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the defense industry on the 17th, it has been analyzed that if the U.S. government demands the purchase of its weapon systems, it may introduce the KC-46 aerial refueling aircraft. Currently, the Air Force is preparing a second project to introduce two aerial refueling aircraft, with a total investment of 1.2 trillion won by 2030.
The second project for introducing aerial refueling aircraft was approved by the Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee in December 2022. Recently, the feasibility study for the project has concluded, and a bidding announcement is upcoming. The KC-46 is the U.S. Air Force's main refueling aircraft, with plans to introduce a total of 179 units, and Japan has also introduced three.
The South Korean Air Force introduced a total of four aerial refueling aircraft through the first project in 2019. The type introduced was the A330 MRTT, a multipurpose aerial refueling aircraft from European Airbus. At that time, it competed against the KC-46, based on Boeing's 767 passenger aircraft, but the A330 MRTT was chosen because the development of the KC-46 had not been completed.
An industry official noted, "Considering the scale and necessity of the project, the interests of our military and the U.S. government align. Since this aircraft type was under consideration for introduction by the Korean Air Force, our side may also request the purchase first."
There are observations that the U.S. attack helicopter Apache (AH-64), which the Army once considered introducing, has a low likelihood of purchase. The Army introduced 36 units in the first project in 2017 and conducted a second project, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff eliminated the requirement last May, and the National Assembly also cut the budget entirely.
The main reason the Apache introduction fell through is that the unit price has risen significantly to 733 million won from 411 million won in the first project. The operational expenses, including missiles, are also high. A former military official stated, "Since Korea has eliminated the requirement itself, if we want to raise the requirement again, several procedures are needed. The likelihood of the U.S. requesting the purchase of the Apache is low."
The government is reportedly reviewing various options in preparation for the U.S. request for weapon purchases. Some suggest that instead of acquiring an old aircraft type like the Apache helicopter, negotiations should be pushed to purchase new weapons systems integrated with AI, such as the MQ-9 "Reaper" or Anduril's "Fury." Although the introduction cost for older weapon systems may be low, the operational expenses, such as for armament, are expensive.
A military official commented, "In a situation where the Trump administration demands an increase in defense spending, introducing new weapons systems would be more beneficial for the military."