Reuters:
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea plans to buy dozens of U.S.-built ship-to-air missiles, in an order worth about $300 million, to boost air defenses against North Korea, even as it moves to reduce tension with Pyongyang, Seoul’s arms buying agency said on Friday.
Since 2013, South Korea has bought Standard Missile-2s, developed by Raytheon Co (RTN.N), in installments to equip three Aegis destroyers preparing to be deployed in the mid-2020s.
It aimed to ramp up the capability to detect and track missiles from the North, as its neighbor developed nuclear programs ultimately targeting the United States in defiance of international sanctions.
The latest missile purchase decision by a defense acquisition panel paves the way for delivery of the final batch, an official of South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.
