U.S. OKs potential sale of aircraft to South Korea

The U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft to South Korea for an estimated $4.92 billion, the Pentagon said on Monday.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region," it said in a statement.

It will also improve South Korea's ability to meet current and future threats by providing increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and airborne early warning and control capabilities.

The principal contractor will be The Boeing Company, located in Renton, Washington.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on Monday.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and National Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun met to discuss "ironclad alliance" between the two countries and steps to strengthen that alliance.