South Korea will buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-35As to satisfy a fighter requirement initially set at 60 aircraft, its joint chiefs of staff announced on Nov. 22. A further 20 fighters, not necessarily F-35s, may be ordered later, subject to security and fiscal circumstances.
The decision almost certainly puts an end to Boeing’s hopes of selling more F-15s to South Korea. The other competitor, the Eurofighter consortium, led by EADS in South Korea, seems to have a remote chance of filling the later order.
By deciding on only 40 F-35s for the F-X Phase 3 requirement, South Korea has resolved a conflict between the air force’s desire for a highly stealthy aircraft, its need to replace old fighters quickly, and its limited budget of 8.3 trillion won ($7.2 billion). The solution was to defer part of the order.
Industry officials think 40 F-35s, bought in the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process, will not use up the entire budget. The South Korean air force tends to buy fighters in multiples of 20, which explains why more than 40 are not planned.
Lockheed Martin is expected to deliver the aircraft over four years beginning in 2018. The further 20 would immediately follow.
link.
No comments:
Post a Comment