Korean Air and European aerospace giant Airbus have signed an agreement to jointly bid for an $8 billion jet fighter project, an airline spokesman said Sunday, pitting them against a team comprised of Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries.
The project is designed to develop and produce 120 fighter jets of a new "indigenous" type to replace the country's aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.
"We've signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus," a Korean Air spokesman told AFP.
One of the conditions of the bid is that local enterprises tie up with foreign companies to secure technological assistance, according to Seoul's Yonhap news agency.
The pair will compete with Korea Aerospace Industries, which has teamed up with America's Lockheed Martin.
South Korea's Defence Acquisition Program Administration plans to announce the final winner in July.
The Korean Air/Airbus alliance would have to present a totally new design as the Eurofighter Typhoon's delta wings do not fit South Korea's specifications, an analyst said.
"Eurofighter does not fit the swept-wing concept favored by South Korea," Lee Il-Woo of Korea Defence Network told AFP.
Korean Air currently operates aircraft maintenance workshops for both the South Korean and US air force and has many years of experience in manufacturing wings for Boeing.
"Korean Air would play a role as a manufacturer with technological assistance from Airbus", Lee said.
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