Boeing delivered the fourth and final 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft to the South Korean air force under the Peace Eye program, announced the company on Oct. 31. The aircraft arrived at Gimhae Air Base, the main operating location for the Peace Eye fleet, on Oct. 24, according to the company’s release. This delivery came roughly 13 months after Boeing supplied the first 737 AEW&C aircraft in September 2011. Rick Heerdt, Boeing’s vice president of airborne surveillance, command, and control, credited the close partnership with the company’s South Korean industrial teammates for making the final aircraft’s delivery possible “five weeks ahead of schedule.” While Boeing converted the first Peace Eye 737 airframe to the AEW&C configuration in the United States, its industrial partner Korea Aerospace Industries modified the three other aircraft at its facility in Sacheon, according to the release.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…