S. Korea to Acquire Electronic Bomb Fuses in 2013

source atk.com

13 Oct 2011 By JUNG SUNG-KI Defensenews

SEOUL - South Korea plans to procure electronic bomb fuses for use by its air force beginning in 2013 to replace aging mechanical M-904/905 fuses, service and procurement officials said Oct. 13.

The move comes as South Korea is pushing ahead with plans to modernize its air force with the introduction of more fighter jets under the F-X III contest, as well as the development of an indigenous KF-X aircraft.

South Korea plans to acquire the FMU-139 fuses in stages, spokesman Lt. Col. Yoon Young-sam said.

Whether the fuses, capable of accepting a signal from a separate proximity sensor, would be purchased domestically or overseas has yet to be decided, he said. The FMU-139 is an electronic impact/impact delay fusing system designed for use by the U.S. Navy and Air Force in the MK80 series and M117 high-explosive bombs.

Local ammunition manufacturers Poongsan Corporation and Hanwha Corporation are competing to become the main supplier of electronic fuses.

Poongsan has been developing a local electronic bomb fuse since 2010, while Hanwha is seeking to build the FMU-139 C/B Fuse with technical assistance from U.S.-based Kaman, supplier of the electronic bomb fuses for the U.S. Air Force. Hanwha and Kaman Precision Products in February signed a memorandum of agreement for technical assistance in manufacturing the fuses that also called for construction of a fuse production facility in South Korea.

Defense experts say the proportion of South Korean aircraft bombs that misfire is high because about 90 percent of the existing M-904/905 fuses, purchased from the U.S. through Foreign Military Sales, are more than 40 years old.

The South Korean Air Force has more than 10,000 bombs, including MK82 general purpose bombs and BLU109 penetration bombs, carried by F-4, F-5, KF-16 and F-15K aircraft. Only about 1,200 Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs aboard F-15Ks and KF-16s are equipped with electrical fuses