The mega-competition to build South Korea's indigenous fighter jet, dubbed KF-X, kicked off on Feb. 9. But the first round of bidding in the country's largest-ever arms procurement deal failed due to an insufficient number of participants.
Only the team of Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin submitted a proposal for the KF-X program by the deadline, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). Under the local procurement rules, all defense development and manufacturing programs must have at least two bidders.
The second round of bidding, which will close Feb. 24, is expected to be a two-way race as Korean Air vows to lodge its bid in collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space.
Without a competitor, the KAI-Lockheed team would win the 8.6 trillion won (US $7.8 billion) project for developing an F-16 class twin-engine fighter aircraft over the next eight years.
About 120 fighters are scheduled to be produced after 2023 to replace aging F-4s and F-5s. Indonesia will provide 20 percent of the development costs, with a domestic company covering 20 percent, and the government supporting the rest.
"We're preparing to submit a proposal by the deadline of the second round of bidding, in collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space," a Korean Air spokesman said, adding his company signed an agreement with the European defense firm for the KF-X partnership.
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