This photo, provided, Oct. 31, by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, shows a F-15K fighter jet engaging in a live-fire exercise. Yonhap

The United States has authorized a potential sale to South Korea of equipment and services needed to upgrade its F-15K fighter fleet, a government agency said Tuesday, saying that the sale would help enhance the Asian ally's air defense capabilities.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) under the Department of Defense announced that the State Department has made the decision on the potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale (FMS) estimated to cost US$6.2 billion.

South Korea has made a request to buy equipment and services for the upgrade, including 70 AN/APG-82(V)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array radars, 70 AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System electronic warfare suites and 70 AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems.

"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," DSCA said in a release.

"This proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea's capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its critical air defense capability to deter aggression in the region and to ensure interoperability with U.S. forces," it added.

DSCA delivered the certification, notifying Congress of the proposed sale earlier in the day as the sale requires congressional endorsement. (Yonhap)