SEOUL - South Korea on Monday received its first 737 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft from Boeing.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a press release that the aircraft, named "Peace Eye", landed at the Air Force base in Gimhae, about 450 km southeast of Seoul.

Under a $1.6 billion contract signed in November 2006, Boeing is to deliver four 737 AEW&C aircraft to South Korea by 2012.

The surveillance aircraft, based on Boeing's 737-700, is equipped with a multi-role electronically scanned radar antenna and can detect and monitor up to 1,000 airborne or surface targets simultaneously within a 370-km radius.

The first aircraft will be deployed with the South Korean Air Force by September after undergoing test flights and acceptance trials, the DAPA said.