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The US has agreed to supply thousands of guided munitions kits to the Republic of Korea.
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The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has confirmed the sale of Boeing-built Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Guidance Kits and related equipment to South Korea for an estimated US$258 million ($356.4 million).
The JDAM kits are designed to convert unguided weapons to all-weather precision-guided munitions.
The deal includes:
- 3,953 JDAM KMU-556 kits;
- 1,981 JDAM KMU-557 kits;
- 1,179 JDAM KMU-572 kits; and
- 1,755 FMU-139 Fuze Systems.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region,” the DSCA noted.
“The proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing available stores of munitions on the Korean Peninsula in support of Alliance Operations Plans (OPLANs), as well as to fulfil conditions outlined by the Condition-Based Operational Control (OPCON) Transition Plan.”
This deal follows the approval of the Commonwealth government’s US$350 million ($481.6 million) procurement of services relating to the future development of Raytheon-built Standard Missile 6 Block I (SM-6) and Standard Missile 2 Block IIIC (SM-2 IIIC) platforms.
The anti-air missiles are expected to be deployed from Australia’s next-generation BAE Systems-built Hunter Class frigates, which will leverage Lockheed Martin-built Aegis Combat Systems.
The US State Department also recently approved arms sales to Taiwan, Japan, and India.
[Related: US to supply over $1bn in arms to Taiwan, Japan]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
