ROKAF BASE GIMHAE, South Korea, Sept. 21, 2011 — A team led by Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first Peace Eye 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF).

The aircraft was delivered during a ceremony attended by officials from the ROKAF, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the South Korean and U.S. governments, industry partners and Boeing at ROKAF Base Gimhae, the main operating base for the Peace Eye fleet.

“Peace Eye increases South Korea’s self-defense capacity with powerful airborne-surveillance and battle-management capabilities that will help enhance the security of the Korean peninsula,” said Randy Price, Peace Eye program manager for Boeing. “Working closely with the ROKAF, DAPA, the U.S. government and our Korean industry partners was key to making today’s milestone a reality.”

Three additional Peace Eye aircraft are being modified by Korean Aerospace Industries in Sacheon, Korea, and will be delivered to the ROKAF in 2012.

The Peace Eye program includes four 737 AEW&C aircraft plus ground support segments for mission crew training, mission support and system maintenance. 737 AEW&C aircraft also are in production for the governments of Australia and Turkey.

Based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 commercial airplane, the 737 AEW&C aircraft is designed to provide airborne battle-management capability with an advanced multirole electronically scanned radar and 10 state-of-the-art mission crew consoles that are able to track airborne and maritime targets simultaneously. The mission crew can direct offensive and defensive forces while maintaining continuous surveillance of the operational area.

Source and photo: Boeing