The Trump administration has approved a deal to sell six P-8A patrol aircraft to South Korea for an estimated cost of $2.1 billion and 64 Patriot Advanced Capability missiles for $501 million, the US State Department announced Thursday.
« The proposed sale will allow the ROK to modernize and sustain its MSA capability for the next 30 years. As a long-time P-3 operator, the ROK will have no difficulty transitioning its MSA force to P-8A, » the statement said.
Purchasing the Patriot missile system will allow South Korea « to improve its missile defense capability, defend its territorial integrity and deter threats to regional stability, » according to the State Department.
It will also « increase the defensive capabilities of the ROK Military to guard against hostile aggression and shield the allies who train and operate within South Korea’s borders. »
Specifically, the P-8A is the newest maritime, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft built by the US.
A multi-mission capable aircraft, the P-8A is designed to « conduct anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, » according to the US Navy.
Last month, CNN was granted access to aboard a US P-8A Poseidon plane as it conducted a reconnaissance mission over four key artificial islands in the hotly contested South China Sea.
