Saab GlobalEye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft lost out to Boeing made E-7 Wedgetails in a recent NATO procurement (Saab)

WASHINGTON — The US government has approved a potential deal for South Korea to buy four E-7 Wedgetail surveillance and early warning aircraft and related equipment for nearly $5 billion, should Seoul choose the Boeing bird in its race to expand its Airborne Early Warning & Control Aircraft (AEW&C) fleet.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced late Monday that the State Department okayed the would-be $4.9 billion arrangement, saying the “proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and airborne early warning and control capabilities.”

“It will also increase the ROK Air Force’s command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) interoperability with the United States,” the release said. “Korea will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces.”

Seoul already operates a handful of Wedgetails — along with Australia, the United Kingdom and Turkey, according to planemaker Boeing — but late last year Seoul announced a competition to expand its capabilities. International offers have lined up, including from Sweden’s Saab with its GlobalEye surveillance aircraft and from a team-up of America’s L3Harris with Korean Air and Israel’s ELTA.

Beyond its current operating customers, the Wedgetail has been chosen as the latest AEW&C for the US Air Force as well as NATO — though the US acquisition was bumpy as negotiations with Boeing dragged and NATO’s came with its own criticisms.

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Foreign Military Sale approvals are not final deals, but signify the US government’s acquiescence if the Wedgetail is the direction in which Seoul would like to go. If it is the winner, the pricetag and unit numbers can change as final negotiations play out. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this report.