BAE Systems to upgrade electronics and avionics on South Korea F-16 jet fighters

ROCKVILLE, Md., 6 Sept. 2012. The BAE Systems Support Solutions segment in Rockville, Md., will upgrade avionics and electronic systems on more than 130 Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighter aircraft for the Republic of Korea under terms of a contract to be awarded through the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Foreign Military Sales program.

The Korean Government will deliver a letter of request (LOR) for BAE Systems Support Solutions to be the sole source systems integration contractor for avionics upgrades for the F-16s of the South Korean air force.

For the Korean fleet, BAE Systems will perform systems engineering and integration, software and electronics engineering, obsolescence management, and logistics support.

The upcoming contract will expand the BAE Systems aircraft upgrade and modification business, says Dave Herr, president of BAE Systems Support Solutions. The world market for F-16 avionics upgrades is about $3 billion covering more than 3,000 aircraft, BAE Systems officials say.

BAE Systems provides about 40 percent of the mission equipment in the F-16 fleet worldwide, including the jet fighter's commercial fire control computer. The company also supports 270 of the U.S. Air National Guard’s upgraded F-16s and 50 of the Turkish air force’s upgraded F-16s.

BAE Systems’ experience with the F-16 dates back to the original 1970s-era aircraft, and has included flight control systems and ground support.

BAE Systems engineers will upgrade the Korean F-16 aircraft at the company's facilities in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; San Antonio, Texas; Warner Robins, Ga.; Mojave, Calif.; and Crestview, Fla.

For more information contact BAE Systems Support Solutions online at www.baesystems.com, or the Korean air force at www.airforce.mil.kr.

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