South Korea to decide on aerial refueling tankers in 2014

South Korea plans to move forward with the purchase of four aerial refueling tankers in 2014, which can greatly enhance the operational capabilities of its Air Force.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a report that it has carefully reviewed the need to procure the tanker aircraft and decided to move forward with the process.
DAPA will officially announce the bidding in January for project that aims to purchase four planes between 2017 and 2019. Boeing's KC-767 and Airbus Military's MRTTA330 are likely contenders.
With midair refueling, South Korean F-15Ks can keep station over places like Ieodo and Dokdo islets for around 80-90 minutes compared with the current 20-30 minutes.
South Korea has signed also a 500 billion won deal with Taurus Systems, a joint German-Spanish firm, to buy long-range, air-to-surface attack missile. The Taurus missile has a 500-kilometer-range and gives the user the ability to strike pin-point targets deep inside hostile territories without putting the attacking fight at risk.
yonhapnews