South Korea could acquire four Boeing-built P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft amid North Korea’s continued test firing of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, Korea JoongAng Daily reported Thursday.
Jeong Yong-Soo and Kang Jin-Kyu write that the South Korean military considers a possible purchase of maritime patrol aircraft that work to detect North Korean submarines and avoid “surprise” attacks.
The report said the current anti-submarine patrol aircraft of South Korea’s navy have limited range and the military needs to build on its surveillance reach after North Korea’s SLBM test.
The South Korean navy’s current fleet includes 16 P-3C patrol jets that launched in the 1960s.