Di Vincenzo Santo*
(Da The Diplomat)
Seoul. The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) is moving forward with plans to procure 20 additional fifth-generation Lightning II F-35A stealth fighter jets – the aircraft’s conventional takeoff and landing variant – according to multiple South Korean government sources cited by the Joongang Ilbo newspaper, Reuters reports this week. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has purportedly initiated the F-35A acquisition process. The news comes as no surprise to ROK military analysts. The South Korean government has been considering ordering additional F-35A fighter jets for a while to boost the ROKAFs precision strike capability against North Korean missile and command and control targets in the event of full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula. […] The ROK government has so far not publicly commented on the F-35A follow-up order. […] in order to boost its offensive and precision-strike capabilities the ROKAF is currently modernizing 134 out of its fleet of 170 KF-16C/D Block 50/52 fighter jets, including retrofitting the aircraft with new weapons systems.
*Generale CA ris
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