Three Bid for $7.2 billion South Korean Fighter Program

[GR!FF!N]

Two U.S. aerospace giants and a leading European aircraft maker have completed the submission of their proposals to bid in Korea’s advanced fighter jet acquisition program, an official of the state-run arms procurement agency said Monday.

He noted that Boeing was the first one to submit its detailed offer last Thursday with its F-15SE, and Lockheed Martin and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) followed suit Monday with their F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon.


The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to open the many boxes of documents the three competitors submitted this Thursday for review and evaluation, which will continue through September.


Until recently, Noh Dae-lae, the commissioner of DAPA, maintained that he would announce the winner of the FX-III race, for which 8.29 trillion won ($7.16 billion) is at stake, in October and sign a contract by the end of the year.


However, he recently took a step back from his earlier position amid mounting criticism over his erroneous remarks about the application of simulation tests on the F-35.


He mistakenly said Japan and Israel assessed the F-35, which is still being developed and tested, with a flight simulator and that it will not be an issue for Korea to do so as well. It was later found that the two U.S. allies purchased the F-35 based on a document review without simulator tests or actual test flights.


“DAPA will conduct negotiations in accordance with the current schedule,” Baek Youn-hyeong, spokesman of DAPA said. “If there is a need to extend the negotiation period to protect the national interest, we will discuss the matter through the decision-making procedure of the government.”

Politicians from both ruling and opposition parties have also raised concerns about the “hasty testing and purchasing” of new fighter jets, saying the nation’s largest ever arms purchase plan should be handled by the next administration, which will take office early next year.


“Competing fighter jets should be properly assessed with ample time,” Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party said in a meeting of the party’s decision-making Supreme Council.

He noted that DAPA will only spend a month for the testing and evaluation of the three multirole fighters and it will not be possible for evaluators to fly the F-35 for testing, nor the F-15SE.

Park Yong-jin, a spokesman of the main opposition Democratic United Party, called for an immediate suspension of the FX-III project, through which Seoul plans to deploy 60 cutting-edge jets from 2016 through 2020.


“The incumbent government must immediately stop the next-generation fighter program, which has been mishandled due to incompetence and stubbornness, and let the next administration handle it,” he said.


Air Force officials say that it is urgent for the country to introduce new jets without further delays as a large number of the country’s aging F-4s and F-5s are set to retire in several years.
Seoul purchased 60 of the earlier F-15 variant from Boeing, which won both of the FX-I and II projects in 2002 and 2008.


Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is the only one that met the Air Force’s earlier requirements due largely to the fifth-generation fighter’s stealth features and internal weapons bay.
However, the F-35 has been losing its competitive edge in the FX-III race, for which DAPA eased the requirements to allow Boeing and EADs to enter, due to cost overruns and delays in development.



EADS has announced that it would offer a manufacturing facility for its Eurofighter Typhoon ― which lacks stealth features ― and provide the most extensive amount of technological transfer to Korea.


Boeing has yet to publicly make any enticing offer, but has a strong competitive edge here as it provided 60 the F-15Ks, which will be at least 80 percent comparable with the latest F-15 variant it wants to sell to Seoul.


http://www.defence talk.com/three-bid-for-south-korea-fighter-program-43238/

(erase the space between "Defence" and "Talk" to go to the site)

 

[Luftwaffe]

Just as ATD-X Project demised similarly KF-X III Project will demise. Something that is already near its complete development F-35/F-15SE, I find ATD-X/KF-X useless projects because US-Europe will never help Japan-S.Korea achieve its objectives to develop next generation stealth aircraft, there will be no input or help from LM-Boeing-EDAS-BAE. Turkey is not interested in KF-X project because of TOT and equal right issues S. Korea is not agreeing to, F-15SE offers much more than what KF-X project is hoping for useless to develop something that is already in progress-developmental stages. In the end we might see an enlarged version of Kai T-50 Golden Eagle with some stealth design features and imported US Engine.

 

[Korean]

A new bid submission was called the day bids were received because EADS CASA and Lockheed Martin bid documents were improper and missing translations, which disqualified them and leaving Boeing as the sole qualified bidder. The DAPA officials are super angry, that he wishes he would kick out the F-35 and the Typhoon now, but couldn't because that would make the contest a non-bidding negotiation with Boeing.

Anyhow, the tide has turned and the Silent Eagle is the forerunner now.

Just as ATD-X Project demised similarly KF-X III Project will demise.

Korea is not Japan. In fact, it is the F-35 that is being threatened to be kicked out of the contest first.

I find ATD-X/KF-X useless projects because US-Europe will never help Japan-S.Korea achieve its objectives to develop next generation stealth aircraft

Boeing and EADS need a new fighter project to keep their fighter engineers employed and working on something.

 

[rcrmj]

lol ... This clueless Korean thing,
According to you S.K is the strongest nation on earth if not the whole universe.....why not make a super doper weapon of your own instead of buying from your current master?

 

[Skull and Bones]

F-15SE is going to fit in their requirement just perfectly, F-35 is a strict no-go unless they want to go for a carrier borne stealth fighter.

 

[Luftwaffe]

Anyhow, the tide has turned and the Silent Eagle is the forerunner now.

Korea is not Japan. In fact, it is the F-35 that is being threatened to be kicked out of the contest first.

F-35 maybe kicked out, but then you can also say bye to state of the art next generation munitions and missiles coming from US along with many other military products. From the economic perspective developing something from scratch will cost 3X instead of procuring, And even then S. Korea would be needing US-Europe's heavy assistance in development, which is highly unlikely since they don't want their market to be lost, without doubts F-35 is going to fly across the globe in many Airforces in next 15 Years, by the time somehow KF-XIII becomes reality it would lag far behind in technology by that time F-35 Blocks upgrades would be in Process.

What F-15SE offers something that KF-X was trying to offer in post 2020, a really bad Plan by KAI. I Think KF-X Project is nearing its ill fate Or Plan C, my verdict is it is going to be limited number of F-35s, with upgrades of many F-15s to SE standards obviously not physical changes. What is Plan C from KAI; KF-16 aka T-50 larger Variant with many stealthy features revamp design based on stealth that does reduce the product designing-development timeframe but would be behind even F-15SE never the less.

 

[GR!FF!N]

F-15SE is going to fit in their requirement just perfectly, F-35 is a strict no-go unless they want to go for a carrier borne stealth fighter.

I think they should go for F-35..because F-14SE(semi stealthy) costs almost $100mil..why they would go for a 4th gen aircraft when they can buy a new 5th gen stealthy jet for few more million dollars???F-35 would give their air power a huge boost.

 

[Wright]

I think they should go for F-35..because F-14SE(semi stealthy) costs almost $100mil..why they would go for a 4th gen aircraft when they can buy a new 5th gen stealthy jet for few more million dollars???F-35 would give their air power a huge boost.

F-15 is air superiority, F-35 is miltirole.

 

[Korean]

According to you S.K is the strongest nation on earth if not the whole universe

When and where did I state such a thing? The usual Chinese fabrication?

why not make a super doper weapon of your own instead of buying from your current master?

The same reason China begged for Su-35 from Russia and was denied, and is demanding the EU to drop arms embargo so China could import the Rafale.

but then you can also say bye to state of the art next generation munitions and missiles coming from US

Koreans don't need ground and ship-launched missiles(With the sole exception of SM-2), only the air-launched missiles. And these are sold separately when requested.

From the economic perspective developing something from scratch will cost 3X instead of procuring

Korean project management skill is world class and products are usually delivered on time. Even if the KFX cost the same as the F-35, it is still cost-competitive because the maintenance cost will be a fraction of F-35.

S. Korea would be needing US-Europe's heavy assistance in development, which is highly unlikely since they don't want their market to be lost,

Boeing and EADS are eager to join the KFX program to keep their engineers busy. Pan-European aerospace industry is working on Neuron UAV just to keep their engineers busy and preserve the skills.

without doubts F-35 is going to fly across the globe in many Airforces in next 15 Years

Not at the current price projections. Very few countries could afford $150 million a copy jets.

I think they should go for F-35

The F-35 is the first on the drop list.

..because F-14SE(semi stealthy) costs almost $100mil..

Still half the price of an F-35. Japanese are paying $230 million a copy, not including the cost of $2 billion final assembly plant in Japan.

why they would go for a 4th gen aircraft when they can buy a new 5th gen stealthy jet for few more million dollars???

Because 60 F-35 is priced $15 billion, plus twice that to maintain it over 30 years.

F-35 would give their air power a huge boost.

The F-35 was designed for stealth infiltratio nmissions, and the ROKAF doesn't believe in stealth infiltration. Rather the ROKAF plans to carry out all its strike missions with stand-off weapons like glide bombs and missiles until the enemy air defense is degraded.