South Korea Rejects Boeing Bid For $7.7b Fighter Deal

South Korea decided Tuesday against awarding a $7.7 billion jet fighter deal to Boeing, the sole remaining candidate and said it would re-tender its largest ever defense contract.
The deal to provide 60 advanced combat fighters was aimed at replacing the air force’s aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s and had initially attracted bids from Boeing, US rival Lockheed Martin and the European aerospace consortium EADS.
Boeing, with its offer of F-15 Silent Eagles, had ended up the sole eligible candidate after proposals from the other two came in over South Korea’s stated budget, and the firm was expected to be named the winner on Tuesday.
But the state Defense Acquisition Programme Administration apparently decided the F-15 did not meet the air force’s current requirements, especially in the light of the nuclear threat from North Korea.
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