“The Global 6500 aircraft is in demand around the world because of its performance and versatility, and we’re extremely proud that it was chosen for two very advanced, yet different defense missions in South Korea,” said Michael Anckner, vice-president of worldwide sales at Bombardier Defense.
What was approved and who is buying the jets
Bombardier Defense announced that South Korea will acquire two Global 6500 business jets for conversion into standoff jammer (SOJ) aircraft. The airframes have been procured by Korean Air, which will modify them for the electronic warfare role. Bombardier has said it is providing two Global 6500s for the program, although the company acknowledged it remains possible more might be added.
DAPA funding, program scope and timelines
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) approved the plan for the Block I Electronic Warfare System Development Project in April 2025. DAPA has earmarked around $1.2 billion for the program through 2034. The wider modernization effort in which the SOJ sits includes four Global 6500-based AEW&C aircraft already ordered and valued at roughly $2.2 billion; those AEW&C jets are due to be introduced by 2032 and will be outfitted by L3Harris with the EL/W-2085 AESA radar from Israel’s Elta.
Capabilities described: standoff jamming, ESM and likely antennas
The SOJ jets are intended as standoff jammers designed to disrupt enemy electromagnetic signals from a safe distance. South Korean reporting cited in the announcement said the aircraft should have a jamming range of “at least 200 kilometers [124 miles] to cover the entire Korean peninsula,” and that “high-performance transmit-and-receive antenna technology is required to secure enemy electronic signals while disrupting the enemy by emitting powerful radio waves.”
Renderings presented by Korean Air show prominent fuselage-side fairings and a canoe fairing below the fuselage; the reporting says these likely contain conformal antennas potentially associated with active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology. In addition to jamming transmitters, the SOJ will generally include passive electronic support measures (ESM) to geolocate emitters and share that data in real time with tactical aircraft and missile units.
Korean industrial roles and the competing bids
Two domestic teams competed for the SOJ work. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) teamed with Hanwha Systems and pitched a Global 6500-based design; KAI cited experience from the Peace Eye AEW&C program and the forthcoming Baekdu II ISR platform. Korean Air partnered with LIG Nex1 and reportedly proposed a Gulfstream G550-based solution in some reports, although other reports suggested both teams favored the Bombardier Global 6500 to provide commonality with the AEW&C fleet.
KAI builds fighters and trainers and is developing the Baekdu II ISR aircraft with LIG Nex1 under a $675-million contract to install mission equipment on the Dassault Falcon 2000LXS; that work is due to be completed by the end of 2026. Korean Air’s modification role aligns with its commercial maintenance and upgrade experience, while LIG Nex1 is already identified in the source as a developer of advanced electronic-warfare systems for fighters, warships, submarines and reconnaissance aircraft.
How the SOJ complements existing ROKAF ISR and AEW&C assets
The new SOJ aircraft will sit alongside other ROK Air Force platforms in the electronic warfare and intelligence stack. The ROKAF currently operates four Boeing E-737 AEW&C aircraft procured under the Peace Eye program with deliveries completed in 2012, and is set to receive four new Global 6500-based AEW&C aircraft fitted with EL/W-2085 radars. The ROKAF also operates SIGINT/IMINT platforms including RC-800B Baekdu aircraft (derived from Hawker 800XP), RC-800G Geumgang IMINT jets, and two modified Dassault Falcon 2000S RC-2000 SIGINT aircraft procured under the Baekdu program between 2011 and 2018.
What this means for the ROKAF, the Korean defense industry, and North Korea
- For the ROKAF: The SOJ jets are intended to enable safer penetration of defended airspace by degrading enemy radars, command-and-control and communications systems from standoff ranges—capabilities the ROKAF has specified elsewhere as necessary to “paralyze enemy air-defense networks and wireless command and communication systems in times of crisis.”
- For the Korean defense industry (KAI, Hanwha, LIG Nex1, Korean Air): The program expands sovereign electronic warfare and AEW&C capabilities, builds on ongoing contracts such as the $675-million Baekdu II fit-out, and strengthens domestic systems-integration experience across both airframes and mission electronics.
- For North Korea: The announcement is explicitly framed to counter dense, layered air defenses concentrated near the Demilitarized Zone; the SOJ concept is presented as a means to operate outside hostile airspace while suppressing sensors and communications that would otherwise hinder ROKAF operations.
South Korea’s decision to base these standoff jammers on the Global 6500 ties the SOJ program into a wider fleet approach—commonality with AEW&C jets, a funding line approved through 2034, and concurrent ISR upgrades through 2026. Bombardier’s confirmation that it will provide two Global 6500s leaves a clear next step: conversion schedules and in-service dates remain to be published, and the declared $1.2 billion Block I budget will determine how quickly the ROKAF can field the capability at the scales it has requested.
Source: TWZ — South Korea To Get Huge Electronic Attack Boost With Global 6500 Jammer Jets
