Korean Aerospace Industries took delivery of the plane for modification ahead of the final handover to the republic's air force next year, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said in a statement.

In its modification the KAI will equip the plane with Northrop Grumman's L-band Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array radar, the statement said.

Under the $1.6 billion contract signed three years ago, Boeing IDS is expected to deliver four such 737 early warning aircraft to South Korea by 2012, when the nation takes over wartime operation control of their troops from the U.S. military.

The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter any potential North Korean aggression. The two Koreas have remained technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The first 737 plane flew from a Boeing facility in Seattle to Korea Aerospace Industries facility in Sacheon, southeast of Seoul, the DAPA statement said.

Capable of flying at an altitude of 41,000 feet and reaching a top speed of 340 knots, the aircraft has six common console stations for the mission crew. Its flexibility and support resembles commercial airline fleets, experts say.

"The 737 AEW&C aircraft is a core part in South Korea's pursuit of achieving independent intelligent gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capability to prepare for the transition of wartime operational control from the United States," said a Defense News report.

The plane has the capacity to play the role of an aerial command-and-control center in guiding fighter-interceptors and tactical air force aircraft to combat areas to attack ground targets at low altitudes, Defense News added.

The plane is part of air force plans of the tiny republic to create a tactical reconnaissance wing that will include unmanned aerial vehicles, RF-4C surveillance planes, Hawker 800 aircraft and others.

Boeing, meantime, is also vying to secure a lucrative bid in South Korea's procurement of VC-X presidential plane.

The South Korean presidential office has long sought to use a bigger plane, capable of accommodating more passengers and with a longer flight range.

Boeing's 777 and 747-8 airplanes and the Airbus A340M are among the top contenders.

"The competition will be fierce but we have better offerings of well-suited aircraft that meet the requirements," Boeing Korea President William Oberlin said.

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