Tech Transfer Hobbles South Korea's Fighter Program

[Zarvan]

SEOUL, South Korea — Only six months after Seoul’s KF-X fighter program took off, the state project valued at about US $15 billion faces a crash over tech transfer issues with the US government.

The KF-X is linked to Lockheed Martin’s sale of 40 F-35As to South Korea under the F-X III program through the Foreign Military sales process. Lockheed Martin offered to provide 21 technologies required to build the KF-X fighter jet as part of F-X III offset deals. The US aircraft giant was also selected as the main partner to build KF-X with Korea Aerospace Industries.

At the request of Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Lockheed Martin also agreed to consult with the US government over the transfer of four more technologies related to the active electronically scanned radar (AESA), electro-optical targeting pod, infrared search-and-rescue systems, and radio frequency jammer.

In April, however, the DAPA received notice of the refusal to transfer the four technologies, according DAPA officials.

“We were trying to secure the US export license of those technologies but failed to get them,” Lt. Gen. Park Shin-kyu, head of DAPA’s procurement business bureau, said. “Instead, we’ll seek ways of obtaining those technologies from other countries or through local developments.”

The general hinted the KF-X timeline could be further delayed from 2025 without the US tech transfer.

The AESA, in particular, is a key specification of the KF-X, which is expected to be a twin-engine F-16-plus fighter jet with high-end sensor systems. Some 120 jets are to be built to replace the aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.

Lockheed Martin says it is still consulting with the US government over transfer of the technologies.

“There is no F-35 customer nation receiving the AESA radar technology,” a Lockheed official said. “We made it clear that the tech transfer is only possible with the approval of the US government. We tried but failed.”

Cheong Wa Dae (executive office), however, said DAPA was trying to cover up the tech transfer failure.

The presidential office launched a probe into the suspicion that DAPA had selected Lockheed as the final bidder for both the F-X III and KF-X programs in an unfair manner.

“The presidential office will look into all paperwork and documents related to the KF-X program,” a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said, adding that the fighter development plan could be halted if it is judged nonviable economically and technically.

Some pundits anticipate the KF-X fiasco could affect the F-X III contract in a worst-case scenario.

“I think it’s not possible that the South Korean government cancels the F-X III contract with Lockheed Martin at this moment,” Kim Dae-young, secretary-general of the Korea Defense & Security Forum, a Seoul-based defense think-tank, said. “But the controversy over the F-X III competition process could become an issue again.”

In 2013, Lockheed Martin was dropped in the middle of the F-X III competition, but the DAPA reversed its decision later, upsetting then-preferred bidder Boeing.

The DAPA argued the country’s Air Force needs to operate fighters fitted with the so-called fifth-generation radar-evading capability in response to North Korea’s threats. As a result, Lockheed Martin won the $7 billion deal, beating Boeing and Eurofighter though the latter promised to provide more lenient tech transfers than did the former.

“The easiest way is to buy US radar and sensors to fit them into the KF-X jet, but that may provoke a backlash,” Kim said, referring to the alleged trauma of the T-50 development.

Lockheed Martin helped South Korea develop the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet. But key technologies are protected by the US, so integrating European radars into the plane or exporting the jet to other countries requires US approval.

“This case should serve as an opportunity for us to look back on the way we treat the US,” said Rep. Kim Jung-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party. “We decided to buy fifth-generation fighter jets with the expectation of sophisticated tech transfer, but now we have nothing.”

Email: jsungki@defensenews.com

Tech Transfer Hobbles South Korea's Fighter Program

@Indos @madokafc @Reashot Xigwin @Jakartans@PkDef @Nihonjin1051

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Buy Rusky Pak-Fa. Problems solved.
Russia's T-50 5th Generation Fighter Jets to Enter Service in 2017

Or the Chinese J-31 if congress approve.
Updated J-31 unveiled, expected to hit global market in 5 yrs｜WCT

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

You don't want to rely on America to transfer tech.

 

[21 Dec 2012]

Buy Rusky Pak-Fa. Problems solved.
Russia's T-50 5th Generation Fighter Jets to Enter Service in 2017

Or the Chinese J-31 if congress approve.
Updated J-31 unveiled, expected to hit global market in 5 yrs｜WCT

Very idiotic suggestions.
The Koreans can go to the Israelis for these techs.

• active electronically scanned radar (AESA),
• electro-optical targeting pod,
• infrared search-and-rescue systems and
• radio frequency jammer.

Am I right @500

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Very idiotic suggestions.
The Koreans can go the Israelis for these techs.

• active electronically scanned radar (AESA),
• electro-optical targeting pod,
• infrared search-and-rescue systems and
• radio frequency jammer.

They still need permission considering its still US tech, brah.
Relevant Linky:
Soldiering On: Air Force: 'Korea Will Be Able to Continue KF-X Project without 4 Core Techs from US' | BusinessKorea

 

[Jlaw]

Not sure what these kimchis are smoking? Why would Lockheed Martin or any companies give you the core tech? They want to sell you the fighters, not give you ToT so you can make it and they lost money

You don't want to rely on America to transfer tech.

I agree with the US government in this case. Those four new tech the Koreans are asking are key tech. It's rightfully so the US withheld it from them--ally or not.

 

[Beast]

E

Not sure what these kimchis are smoking? Why would Lockheed Martin or any companies give you the core tech? They want to sell you the fighters, not give you ToT so you can make it and they lost money




I agree with the US government in this case. Those four new tech the Koreans are asking are key tech. It's rightfully so the US withheld it from them--ally or not.

Even China will not give away these things.

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

Not sure what these kimchis are smoking? Why would Lockheed Martin or any companies give you the core tech? They want to sell you the fighters, not give you ToT so you can make it and they lost money




I agree with the US government in this case. Those four new tech the Koreans are asking are key tech. It's rightfully so the US withheld it from them--ally or not.

They sometimes got a false sense of entitlement. Like North Korea took our oil and food for granted..so I guess that‘s pretty common among koreans.

 

[Jlaw]

E

Even China will not give away these things.

Of course. No country or companies if they want to survive will give away its latest tech. I don't know why Koreans think the US will?

 

[qwerrty]

Not sure what these kimchis are smoking? Why would Lockheed Martin or any companies give you the core tech? They want to sell you the fighters, not give you ToT so you can make it and they lost money




I agree with the US government in this case. Those four new tech the Koreans are asking are key tech. It's rightfully so the US withheld it from them--ally or not.

tell that to the turks. lol. they seemed to believe that the US and europeans will give 'em everything to make supa fighter jet superior to russian and chinese and export to anyone they want.. lol. just think about this for a second, even the UK their closest ally and biggest contributor to the f-35 project can't even have access to the source code. what do you think small fries can get?

 

[Beidou2020]

tell that to the turks. lol. they seemed to believe that the US and europeans will give 'em everything to make supa fighter jet superior to russian and chinese and export to anyone they want.. lol. just think about this for a second, even the UK their closest ally and biggest contributor to the f-35 project can't even have access to the source code. what do you think small fries can get?

America has 2 types of relationships with countries.

1. Countries subservient to the US (such as Japan, South Korea, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, India, Baltics)

2. Countries that stand up to the US (such as Russia, China and Iran)

 

[cirr]

S. Korea, China to build joint industrial complex near N. Korea

September 28, 2015


The city of Yianbian (highlighted) borders North Korea and is already home to hundreds of S. Korean businesses. (Google Maps)


BEIJING (Yonhap) — South Korea and China plan to build a joint industrial complex near a border area with North Korea, according to South Korean Ambassador to China Kim Jang-soo on Saturday.

Kim made the remarks on Friday during his visit to the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of China, where ethnic Koreans account for about 30 percent of the population, the Yanbian Daily newspaper reported.

Kim held talks with Zhang Anshun, the Communist Party secretary of Yanbian, during which they discussed ways to build the complex, the report said, without saying when construction would begin.

Kim told Zhang that bilateral relations between South Korea and China “are at an all-time high.”

About 370 South Korean companies are operating in Yanbian, according to the report.

 

[Aepsilons]

Read between the lines.

 

[zeronet]

tell that to the turks. lol. they seemed to believe that the US and europeans will give 'em everything to make supa fighter jet superior to russian and chinese and export to anyone they want.. lol. just think about this for a second, even the UK their closest ally and biggest contributor to the f-35 project can't even have access to the source code. what do you think small fries can get?

no tech transfer on radar, flight control, steath, no access to source code......basically u have to try by ur own to develop the most critical parts....that is tough. even t50 golden eagle was developed by lockheed...

 

[Water Car Engineer]

America has 2 types of relationships with countries.

1. Countries subservient to the US (such as Japan, South Korea, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, India, Baltics)

2. Countries that stand up to the US (such as Russia, China and Iran)

If India was totally subservient to the US, It wouldnt have nuclear weapons(which it was sanctioned heavily by the US then), or actively improving it's ICBMs, SLBMs, etc. Or wouldnt have taken the initiative to break Pakistan in two in 71, which the US almost brought in it's carrier to assist Pakistan.

India have been totally non-aligned from the beginning of it's inception. And was siding more closely to the USSR and was influenced by it's economic ideologies. France and probably also Germany are other countries bet to it's own path.