US approves potential sale of early warning aircraft to South Korea

The United States has approved the potential sale of airborne early warning and control systems to its ally South Korea, part of a nearly $5 billion military package.

The State Department said Monday that it had approved the sale of four E-7 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, 10 jet engines, and other systems and support elements at an estimated cost of $4.92 billion.

The early warning and control aircraft, known as Wedgetails, would enable South Korea to detect missiles and other threats more swiftly and from greater distances than ground-based radar systems.

"This proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea's ability to meet current and future threats by providing increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and airborne early warning and control capabilities," the State Department said.

"It will also increase the ROK Air Force's command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) interoperability with the United States," it added.

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration did not comment on the US authorization, but sources at the agency said that US-based Boeing was one of several companies under consideration for its airborne early warning aircraft project.

The US announcement comes as North Korea fired a salvo of short-range ballistic missiles early Tuesday, Seoul's military said, Pyongyang's second launch in days and just hours before the US presidential election.