BAE Systems will modernize more than 130 F-16 warplanes for South Korea after the U.S. government reached an agreement with the Republic of Korea.
The company will start the design and development phase of the upgrade for KF-16C/D Block 52 planes immediately under the Defense Department’s Foreign Military Sales initiative, BAE said Monday.
“This agreement marks a significant expansion of our F-16 modernization business, and we’re eager to get to work, ” said Erin Moseley, president of support solutions at BAE Systems.
Moseley said the company aims to provide modernization offerings that are designed to meet cost and customization requirements of any nation.
BAE plans to hire about 300 employees to conduct the upgrade work at Fort Worth, Texas, as well as in California, New York, Virginia and Florida.
After completing the first phase, BAE is scheduled to start producing and integrating the upgraded apparatus for the fighter jets in 2014.
