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.
