South Korea is expected to extend the lease for its presidential jet for another five years after the current contract expires, according to a document shared Monday.
The document submitted by the Air Force to Rep. Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party states the Air Force plans to extend the lease of the presidential aircraft, known as Air Force One. The government also has no plan to purchase a presidential aircraft under the current administration, the Air Force added.
South Korea’s government signed a five-year contract with Korean Air to lease a Boeing B747-8i aircraft. The lease costs about 300 billion won ($198 million) and runs until Jan. 10, 2027.
The aircraft replaced the previous Boeing B747-400, which had served as the presidential jet for 11 years and nine months before being replaced under the Moon Jae-in administration.
The aircraft carrying the South Korean president is referred to as “Code One,” a call sign used by air traffic control for any aircraft carrying the president, similar to Air Force One in the United States. The flight number of South Korea’s Air Force One is KAF-001.
A military official said the government is reviewing an additional lease contract for the aircraft after the current lease ends in January.
“Compared with the B747-400, the B747-8i has a longer range and higher cruising speed, and it has been modified internally to improve convenience and meet the requirements of a presidential aircraft,” the official said.
Separately, the government selected the S-92A+ helicopter from Sikorsky, a subsidiary of US defense firm Lockheed Martin, as its new presidential command helicopter.
The model is an upgraded version of the VH-92 presidential helicopter currently in use.
The command helicopter acquisition project, led by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, calls for purchasing four helicopters at a cost of about 870 billion won.
The new helicopters are expected to begin entering service as early as 2030.
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