MBDA and Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) have formalised an agreement to enhance their collaboration, focusing on the integration of MBDA’s weaponry onto KAI’s aircraft platforms and a joint approach to marketing these solutions.
The agreement was signed in London, during a Korean state visit to the UK, by Chris Allam, Managing Director of MBDA UK, and Kang Goo-young, CEO of KAI, on Monday, 20th November.
Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, commented on the significance of this collaboration: “The combination of MBDA’s world-leading weapon products and technologies with KAI’s proven record of new aircraft development and rapid delivery is an exciting prospect for the world defence market, reflecting the shared values and interests of both parties.”
Kang Goo-young, CEO of KAI, acknowledged the growing global demand for various armaments: “We will work with MBDA to propose enhanced domestic fighter aircraft to our customers.”
A key aspect of this partnership is the integration of MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile onto the KAI-led KF-21 Boromae fighter aircraft. Furthermore, the agreement explores the integration of additional MBDA weapons such as SPEAR, ASRAAM, and Brimstone onto KAI platforms including KF-21 and FA-50, coupled with the joint export of these platforms and missiles.
This agreement marks a significant development in the defence industry, combining advanced weaponry and aircraft development expertise to meet the evolving needs of the global defence market.
Very good news for MBDA.
Poland might be lined up as an early customer.
Yes with our developing cooperation with Poland this has great potential closer to home as well as the far East and beyond. I wonder what piggy backing this might have with MBDA non UK origin weapons, I’m sure Mr Béranger is keen to investigate those possibilities too. What’s more though this may be the start of closer defence activities between the UK and South Korea generally and our Japanese links might help that even further as collaborations become increasingly more important for top end technological solutions and old animosities are swallowed as a result. I’m sure that SK would very… Read more »
Korea and Poland would be a great pick for UK to partner with on future tracked Armour vehicles
“I’m sure that SK would very much like to use similar weapons on its aircraft (and perhaps beyond that eventually) to Japan so that they can share supplies in emergencies where increasingly they are likely to be on the same side as big neighbours become increasingly a threat.” More than possible! Thursday 14 December 2023 04:06, UK UK signs deal with Japan and Italy to build next generation fighter jets in Britain “The on-board weapons system will deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning to “maximise the effect” its arsenal can deliver, the MOD said. “The MOD awarded the contract to… Read more »
I’m seeing a pattern lately …. it’s a good thing that is happening with the UK;s Global ambitions. Good to see that Brexit is paying off.
You should be a comedian
Except he’s pathetic rather than actually funny….
Ah, the Remoaner has arrived and still looks a bit, bitter.
No they are right
No you are wrong.
Not as bitter as Brexshitters, who got what they wanted and have now realised it’s all a bit crap. Sovrinty! Blue Passports! Errr…. being a laughing stock! Yay! LMAO 😂
except there are lots of us that voted remain that have actually become brexiteers.
Lot’s of good things are happening now, It’ll only get better.
its over we lost, move on
I always love seeing your type of Childish reply? bitter guff. we won, you lost, get over it, support the democratic system and support your country going forward like the vast majority of us are doing. Your comments/Views are just not important now.😆
Why do you sully this comments page with nonsense? Please try somewhat better next time.
Talking out of it too, so it appears.😂
Please give us a break. If you cant keep up dont criticise those that can.
There has always been these developments in the arms industry. Can’t really be said it’s because of some government policy.
The main way that could be proved is if something happens that wasn’t happening before.
So if for example the U.K. had started exporting a cherries to Asia since brexit and the reason this hadn’t previously happened was because of rules/regulation from being in the EU.
I’m looking at the whole picture mate….. Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Italy, team Tempest, Possibly Germany coming onboard, AUKUS, BAE Systems America to name a few. Not sure about Cherries though.😂
Are any of those agreements barred by EU membership? I don’t think so.
Did I even mention that.? I don’t think so.🙄
Turkey cannot be considered as a partner. Erdogan is versatile and unconsistent in his foreign policy. Childish and stupid character. As long as he kills is own people, hé will remain in power. Does really UK want’s to fall so low… This guy behaves like an ennemy. Where can he possibly be an ally? He continuously threatened Greece, Kurdes, Armenians, Egypt, Israel. You want UK’s weapons and technology being used in which of these threats or war? It is not a trip to Greece that will erase years of discours, public threats and insultes. Before you know it, he will… Read more »
Being objective there would have been EU pressure for an EU solution?
Although interestingly Italy has resisted that – maybe because the radar/sensor tech is actually UK sovereign?
Good move for Korean Air Industries, breaking out of the Korean peninsula and getting a deal with leading European defence group, headquartered in France, some of whose products are developed and made in the UK. 🙂
So, yes, Good news as you say. UK getting stronger. Can’t see anything negative there….. Westlands/Leonardo is another win for the UK. Thales UK is another win. UK is certainly attracting investment….. just look at Nissan . Argue with me further bud.
Let me try. Source, House of commons about Foreign Direct Investments, FDI data for 2021 (most recent I could find):
The value of inward FDI in the UK (i.e. the stock of FDI invested in the UK) was £2.0 trillion, up very slightly from 2020.
And we know what happened leading to Brexit with a vertical drop. But if you don’t remember, I can post that too
“The UK recorded 929 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in 2022, down 6.4% from 993 in 2021”
I detect much hate of this Country in your ramblings. Too many like you want to put it down, you need to move on now, be positive.
Access to the EU single market was a key factor in the Nissan decision to build manufacturing in the UK. Nissan are in it for the long haul and the Japanese (and their Emperor) have an affinity with British Imperial religious history. King Charles was anointed with holy oils.They see the cultural similarities. Following Brexit we have persuaded them to stay with subsidies and by negotiating trade concessions with the EU which provide equivalent financial incentives to leverage the assets they have. The EU are being kinder to us than we are to ourselves e.g. deferring for yet another 3… Read more »
Thanks I was struggling to sleep before reading your contribution!
And that’s your contribution ?
Could you de-CAMM CAMM-MR?
So, CAMM was developed from ASRAAM by MBDA as a ground-based system. So could you reverse that to have air-launched CAMM-MR as a cheap BVR missile? Would be a useful interim between Meteor and ASRAAM, whilst european built.
Interesting question. Just checked as I thought it has been updated in recent years and has incorporated CAAM related improvements accordingly. I have no idea how similar the missile profiles are mind as the related parts seem to based around the rocket motor, seeker and other electronics.
Well interestingly the Japan UK medium. Range air to air missile program comes. To an end next year…the Japanese are taking the learning to develop a cheap medium range missile, the UK is going to stick with Meteor and ( by the looks of it ) fined 2 billion quid for a mode life upgrade…Japan decided the UK meteor opton would be to expensive.
It’s been a very popular export missile so I can’t see that it will be that expensive relative to effectiveness. It’s still the most deadly missile in the world. Missiles like AIM 260 might get a greater range but likely only when being lobbed at high altitude. Having an air breathing A2A missile is still a game changer.
It’s over £1m a missile. I think it’s worth it as it gives you first shot abilities. Going forward thoughts need to be put into what targets are the planes/missiles going to be expected to deal with. If it’s aircraft then expensive missiles are fine as even the largest airforces don’t have more than a few thousand aircraft. If aircraft are going to be used to also deal with cruise missiles, 1 way drones etc the targets some mount up to thousands. Now what makes missiles expensive and what could be changed to still have a capable weapon but cheaper… Read more »
Please keep in mind AIM260 is designed to engage VLO objects, and that capability is essential for J20 and possibly others in the future
Well the RAF are happy with it, but as I said the Japanese want something cheaper.They have not ruled out a meteor purchase in the future, but have just said their own domestic missile needs to be cheaper, so the Uk and Japan have amicably parted ways at the end of the joint missile development programme…both seem happy with the information and data they have got from the program..they just recognise they want to develop their next generation missile in a different way.
Are we overshooting technical perfection?
It is a real question.
90% of capability will cost 60% with much more certainty?
The assumption is that these things have very long service lives so they have to be obsolescence proof in that service window…..are we killing necessary quantity for perfection?
Are the opposition aircraft really that good that we have to have a ridiculous overmatch?
There is a message in this……and the fact that CAMM has sold very well……
Personally I think we probably are..meteor as it is now is probably the best medium/long range air to air missile in existence and will stay that way for the foreseeable future…even in the longer term I could not see our potential enemies ( china, Russia, Iran and lesser friends) coming close to it even in the longer terms. Planning to spend 2 billion on an upgrade seems bonkers..knowing the holes we have in capability.. after all that’s 20 F35Bs..or 8 type 31s..what do we need more..making the best air to air missile in the world even more of a golden… Read more »
Certainly a rational point of view.
“lets be honest not even the US has ever spaffed what will be 2.5 billion dollars on upgrading a perfectly good Air to Air missile”
2.5 Billion?
Has to be more involved than just upgrades. That number is bonkers.
Yes, I would not be surprised if it’s nonsense, based on overly zealous accounting designed by the NAO to grab headlines and nothing more.
It’s a joint European developed missile and no one else in Europe seems to be screaming about the Uber upgrade cost while nations like India and South Korea have just signed up for it.
Ye but Jim I also would not be surprised…. the NAO is there to highlight the holes with the information they are given by the MOD..if they have identified it as a 2 billion pound cost then I would not be surprised if it’s an accurate reflection of what the MOD are telling them…also the fact the UK Japan joint missile development ( which was meant to actually produce a usable low cost joint missile) has quietly come to an end).
You could. However there may be an issue with the missile’s length. The basic CAMM is slightly longer than ASRAAM, due to the pointed nose and tail extension for the reaction jets. According to specs it is 10.6t long. Meteor is bang on 12 ft long and CAMM-ER is 13.9ft long. The Meteor design dimensions were constrained, by the need to match the dimensions profile of AMRAAM. Thereby allowing it to be fitted in the four semi-flush missile cut outs on Typhoon. The other issue would be the length of the F35’s weapons bays. These comfortably fit Meteor, with a… Read more »
As always, an excellent survey. Very educational. Thx.
Good stuff. The Koreans are getting some great weapons. Asraam in particular is great missile. So will Korea be getting the missiles pre midlife update or with the upgrades?
Shame they can’t help with our f35s and their 1990s weapons load…
Yes but you just wait till Block 4 & the updated engine – then you’ll see….best plane on the planet…we will only need half a dozen to rule the world I tells ya!
By the time block 4 comes along the next generation of weapons will be developed and we’ll be right back in the same position, getting shafted by our US “friends”.
The UAE appears to be interested in joining the project.
LINK
Our US “friends” are also waiting on block 4.
They are already looking to include an internal weapons bay and stealth coatings from 2030 ish. “Thus, in 1992 the Navy and Air Force combined their CALF and JAST programs into the Joint Strike Fighter program. Its goal was to devise a cheaper, single-engine attack-oriented stealth fighter, variants of which could be used by all three services to save on costs and which could be exported to U.S. allies across the globe—unlike the F-22. Better yet, the JSF would incorporate cutting-edge digital and material technologies to improve efficiency. In 2001, the Air Force announced the more polished F-35 the winner… Read more »
O/T. There is a rather nice clip on the War Zone, with an accompanying article, covering the test flight of the mojave from Prince of Wales.
O/T but not by much…the Global Air Combat Program (aka Tempest) agreement between UK, Italy and Japan has been signed. Headquarters in the UK. Head of program Japanese.
This is good news and makes it more difficult to cancel. 👍
Indeed. The article I read mentioned that both the UK and Italy were open to Saudi Arabia joining.