GIMHAE, South Korea, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- South Korea has taken delivery of the first of four 737 airborne early warning and control aircraft ordered from Boeing.
The South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration said a Boeing E-737 early-warning and control aircraft landed at the air base base in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, after completing tests by the South Korean air force at Boeing's factory in Seattle.
"It will go through test flights and acceptance tests before it's handed over to our Air Force in early September," the DAPA said.
In an effort to establish autonomous early-warning and control system, South Korea had decided to adopt the E-737 in November 2006. Since then Seoul has been doing its effort to bring four such planes to the country by end of next year.
Korea Aerospace Industries, the nation's leading aircraft maker, is developing an advanced multi-purpose electronic satellite radar system that will be installed in the second, third and fourth planes.
The E-737 surveillance aircraft was made by remodeling a Boeing 737 passenger plane and installing equipment such as multi-role electronically scanned array surveillance radar on top of the aircraft and a radar manipulating consol system inside.
The E-737 has a flying range of about 4,349 miles.
