South Korea Approves Procurement Of Lockheed Martin F-35A

The Republic of Korea finalized its formal selection of the F-35A for its F-X fighter acquisition program, announcing its intent to sign the Letter of Offer and Acceptance for 40 F-35A with initial deliveries beginning in 2018.
Following a comprehensive evaluation process for its F-X program, the Republic of Korea, which first announced its competitive selection of the F-35 over the 4th Generation Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and the EADS Eurofighter Typhoon in March this year, now becomes the third Foreign Military Sales country to procure the F-35, joining Israel and Japan who selected the F-35A in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
lockheedmartin

South Korea To Finalize F-35 Jet Fighter Deal This Year

South Korea plans to finalize the purchase of 40 next-generation F-35 jet fighters from US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin later this year.
The absence of a stealth capability was behind the military’s decision in September to block a deal to buy 60 of Boeing’s F-15 fighters.
defensenews

South Korea unlikely to finalize Lockheed F-35 order until summer 2014

South Korea is unlikely to finalize any orders for the F-35 stealth fighter jet until the summer or fall of 2014.
South Korea's military chiefs last month said Seoul would buy 40 Lockheed F-35 fighters, with the first planes to be delivered in 2018, despite the fact the only Boeing Co's F-15 fighter met the competition's price target.
They say an additional 20 fighters to be acquired could be different models.
Europe's Eurofighter also bid for the order. Both Boeing and Eurofighter have said they remain willing to supply smaller numbers of jets to Seoul, if asked.
The sources said the military chiefs' decision requires Seoul to redo part of its acquisition process and also take another look at the budget, which in turn will defer any move to finalize F-35 orders until the second half of 2014, months later than expected.
Despite the delay, South Korea is not expected to change the decision to buy F-35s.
reuters

South Korea to obtain 40 F-35As

South Korea will obtain 40 Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters under its F-X III requirement.
A report by state news agency Yonhap quotes the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as saying that Seoul will obtain 40 F-35s starting in 2018, with an option to buy 20 more aircraft.
The deal will be conducted through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales mechanism.
Deliveries will begin in 2018.
Seoul will also obtain an additional 20 fighter aircraft of unspecified type, but the timeframe and details of this acquisition are not clear.
This additional requirement would appear to leave room for Boeing and Eurofighter, which pitched the F-15 Silent Eagle and Eurofighter Typhoon in the original 60 aircraft F-X III competition, to make a significant sale in South Korea.
The original F-X III requirement called for Seoul to obtain 60 new fighters. The only aircraft to come in under the DAPA’s budget of won (W) 8.3 trillion ($7.7 billion) budget was Boeing’s proposed F-15SE, an upgraded version of the venerable type with low observable features and other improvements.
In September, however, Seoul decided to re-tender the competition following the air force’s reiteration that it wants a stealth aircraft to fill the requirement.
flightglobal

Lockheed Martin F-35 Now Sole Candidate in South Korea Fighter Project

Lockheed Martin's F-35 is emerging as the sole qualified candidate as Korea's search for a new-generation fighter jet starts all over again.
The Defense Ministry in September decided against Boeing's F-15SE because of its unsatisfactory stealth capability.
The Air Force has recently revised requirements for the F-X project and recommended them to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Air Force set more stringent requirements for the stealth capability and electronics like the radar cross-section, a measure of how detectable an object is with radar.
That would also rule out EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon, the third in the previous round, because it fails to meet these requirements.
The ministry is expected to discuss the Air Force's recommendation at a meeting of Joint Chiefs of Staff commanders. Early next month, it will then submit the recommendation to a committee chaired by Defense Minister to sign a straightforward contract for the F-35 rather than putting the project out to tender again.
But some military leaders are worried because there is no precedent for a contract without tender for a huge arms procurement project worth more than W8 trillion. They are also concerned about delays because the F-35 is still not fully developed. Some are suggesting buying a mix of 40 F-35s and 20 improved F-15s or Typhoons.
english.chosun

S.Korea would get F-35s with full combat capability -Pentagon

If South Korea decides to order Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets for delivery in 2017, the aircraft would come with the software needed to carry a full load of weapons, Lockheed and the Pentagon's F-35 program office said Thursday, refuting a claim made earlier this week by a Boeing consultant.
South Korea is expected to confirm in coming weeks that it needs radar-evading capabilities such as those offered by the F-35, after an acquisition task force last month rejected a bid to buy Boeing Co's F-15.
Boeing and its supporters are now pressing for a split buy of Boeing F-15s and Lockheed F-35s, arguing that South Korea would need the greater weapons-carrying capacity of the Boeing planes to counter a possible North Korean threat.
They say the F-15 is a proven aircraft that can carry more weapons at high speeds and over longer distances than the F-35, which could be critical in a war with the North.
South Korea has said it needs delivery of the first new fighter jets in 2017 so it can start replacing its aging current fleet of warplanes. To ensure delivery in 2017, Seoul would have to place initial orders of F-35 jets in the ninth batch of jets, which is expected to carry the 3F software.
The Pentagon hopes to award Lockheed a contract for advanced procurement of titanium and other materials for that ninth batch of jets by the end of this year.
reuters

South Korea nearing decision to buy F-35 fighters

South Korea is nearing a decision to buy some Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets, but will likely keep its options open for a limited purchase of Boeing Co's F-15.
South Korea could announce the plan as early as November to secure the funding needed to ensure initial deliveries of the F-35 in 2017.
South Korea's fighter competition has been closely watched given its importance to Boeing, which is keen to extend its F-15 production line beyond 2016, and to Lockheed, which is trying to drive down the price of the F-35 by securing more buyers.
reuters

Eurofighter to bid in new South Korea fighter contest

Eurofighter will bid again to sell fighter jets to South Korea after the country's government cancelled a contest that U.S. rival Boeing was poised to win.
Seoul rejected Boeing's bid to supply 60 warplanes, saying it would restart the multi-billion-dollar process to get a more advanced, radar-evading fighter.
Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle, the only bid within budget, had been poised to win the $7.7 billion tender after competing with Lockheed Martin's F-35A and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Lockheed's F-35 is now widely seen as the front-runner, but Eurofighter would fight to stay in the race.
reuters

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.
defensenews

Fifteen former RoKAF chiefs protest against selection of F-15SE

Fifteen former Air Force chiefs have written to President Park Geun-hye calling on her to procure stealth bombers. They said Korea should "give top priority to stealth functions" for the next-generation F-X fighter procurement project, regardless of the budget.
A total amount of W8.3 trillion (US$1=W1,085) has been earmarked for the project to buy 60 fighter jets.
chosun.com

F-15SE sole candidate in South Korea after Eurofighter got disqualified

The Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon by EADS has reportedly been eliminated from South Korea's project to buy new fighter jets, leaving Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle as the sole final candidate.
EADShas dropped out of the bidding due to problems with their documents lefting.
The South Korea National Procurement Agency said "flaws found in the bidding documents" as reasons of the elimination. It did not elaborate on what kind of document flaws was found.
yonhapnews

F-15SE close to matching future South Korea Fighter F-X III price ceiling

With the “final” bidding for Korea’s next-generation fighter program underway, the procurement price of 8.3 trillion won ($7.5 billion) is taking center stage, which puts Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle (SE) in the contender position.
However, military watchers say that a price-focused selection of 60 F-15 SEs may doom the Korean Air force's goal of boosting its strength due to lesser capabilities than those being hyped.
The F-15 is up against Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company’s (EADS) Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon in the Air Force program to buy 60 combat planes to replace its obsolete fleet of F-4s and F-5s.
koreatimes

Price haggling delays South Korea F-X III decision

South Korea's F-X III competition for 60 fighters appears to have temporarily broken down over pricing.
Seoul's official news agency, Yonhap, quotes Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) spokesman as saying that bids for the requirement have come in over budget, despite 55 separate price bids during three weeks in June.
The competitors for the dealare the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle and Eurofighter Typhoon.
The budget for deal is won (W) 8.3 trillion ($7.3 billion) for the 60 aircraft.
flightglobal

All three bids in South Korea’s fighter contest higher than estimated cost

South Korea has extended bidding on a $7.3 billionfighter jet project after a second round of bidding ended on Friday with three aviation makers offering prices above the estimated cost, South Korea's news agency said.
South Korea opened the bidding on June 18 to import the country's 60 next-generation fighter jets between 2017 and 2021 and has since carried out about 30 bidding sessions, yet the offers were over the budget.
reuters

South Korea opens bidding on $7.3 bn fighter jet deal

South Korea formally opened bidding Tuesday on a $7.3 billion deal to provide 60 advanced fighter planes, with three aviation giants vying for what is the Asian nation's largest defence contract to date.
US companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin and the European aerospace consortium EADS are in the running, and all have prefaced their bids with various sweeteners to try and edge out their rivals.
spacemart

South Korea plans to select a winner for the FX-III fighter competition by the end of June

South Korea's fighter jet procurement plan has hit a snag as the military is investigating the leakage of confidential information related to the multibillion-dollar project to a local arms brokerage firm.
The latest probe comes as competition for the 8.3 trillion won (US$7.4 billion) contract has heated up between the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, the F-15 SE Silent Eagle by U.S. firm Boeing and the Eurofighter by Europe's multinational defense group EADS.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Thursday they have nearly completed negotiations for price and offset programs including technology transfer with the goal of picking a winner by the end of June.

english.yonhapnews

DSCA notify congress possible sale of 60 F-35As or 60 F-15SE for South Korea

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress March 29 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Korea in support of (60) F-15 Silent Eagle aircraft being procured via Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $2.408 billion or the possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Korea for 60 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $10.8 billion.

Korea – F-15 Silent Eagle Aircraft Support

Korea – F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Boeing and USAF will have to recertificate entire F-15SA flight envelope

Boeing and the US Air Force will have to recertificate the new F-15SA's performance over the Eagle's entire flight envelope due to its new fly-by-wire flight control systems.
"The entire F-15 flight envelope requires clearance for the F-15SA fly-by-wire system," the USAF says. "The flight test to certify airworthiness will take approximately a year and a half to accomplish."
True fly-by-wire is a departure from the traditional F-15 hybrid electronic/mechanical flight control system. Previous incarnations of the jet were equipped with a dual-channel, high-authority, three-axis control augmentation system superimposed on top of a hydro-mechanical system.
However, Saudi Arabia's 84 F-15SAs on order will have its two outer wing weapons stations activated, making it necessary to implement a fly-by-wire flight control system.
"The main benefit for the fly-by-wire system is to compensate for the stability differences induced by carrying weapons in the one and nine stations - not used to date on any F-15 platform," the USAF says.

The service adds it is not yet known how the redesigned flight control system will affect the pilot. "It is too early in the flight test programme to appropriately characterise [the] 'feel' of the flight controls," the service says.

flightglobal

Boeing Cuts F-15SE Design Feature in Korean Fighter Bid

As competition to secure a $7.3 billion deal with South Korea for the Asian nation’s next-generation fighter enters its final stages, key “stealth” feature were dropped off Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle (F-15SE). Boeing’s F-15SE is in a tough round of evaluations as it competes with Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and EADS’ Eurofighter Typhoon to nail down a multi-billion contract with South Korea for as many as 60 fifth-generation fighters.

learn more

Korea Aerospace fabricará partes del F-15 Silent Eagle/ Boeing KAI Sign agreement for production of F-15 Silent Eagle Conformal Weapons Bay

Boeing y Korea Aerospace han firmado un acuerdo mediante el cual KAI, fabricará la bodega de armas del F-15 Silent Eagle. Este diseño minimizará la firma radar del F-15SE.
(leer más)
__________________________________________
Boeing today announced that the company has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) for KAI to design, develop and manufacture the Conformal Weapons Bay (CWB) for the F-15 Silent Eagle.
The CWB is an innovative internal carriage that will minimize the F-15SE's radar signature and significantly increase its tactical options.
(read more)