Lockheed Martin Lands Massive $1.2 Billion Contract to Turn South Korea's F-16s into 'Vipers'

Dave Majumdar

Security, Asia

Watch out, North Korea. 

South Korea has awarded Lockheed Martin a massive $1.2 billion contract to upgrade 134 F-16 Fighting Falcons into an advanced new configuration. Once the modernization program is complete, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) will possess some of the most advanced versions of the venerable F-16 anywhere in the world.

“We truly appreciate the trust and confidence the Republic of Korea has placed in us with this contract,” said Susan Ouzts, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 program, in a statement. “These upgrades are a critical piece of South Korea’s national defense and highlight Lockheed Martin’s commitment to the full lifecycle of the F-16, from production to through-life sustainment.”

The South Korean upgrade is based on Lockheed Martin’s advanced F-16V configuration for the long-serving Fighting Falcon—better known among its pilots as the Viper. The central feature of the modernized aircraft will be an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

The South Korean upgrade also includes a modern commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based avionics subsystem, a large-format, high-resolution center pedestal display and a high-volume and high-speed data bus. The South Korean upgrade contract was awarded via the Pentagon’s foreign military sales vehicle under the auspices of the United States Air Force.

This is the second time that Korea has tried to upgrade its F-16 fleet. The ROKAF had originally selected BAE Systems in 2012 to perform the modernization work. However, that deal was scrapped after the U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to develop and install an F-16 modernization package called Combat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite (CAPES). CAPES would have become the standard configuration for the F-16, but the program was eventually cancelled during a budget crunch in late 2014—wreaking havoc on the fighter upgrade market.