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The F-15SE

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter

The field of candidate models for the South Korean Air Force’s next fighter jet has been narrowed down to the Eurofighter Typhoon 3 and the F-15SE.

Defense Acquisition Program Administration spokesman Baek Yoon-hyung said on Aug. 16 that the bidders had come in below the total project budget of 8.3 trillion won (US$7.5 billion), with the next selection procedures now set to begin.

“The project is still ongoing, so I can’t say who the companies were,” Baek added.

But according to sources in the Ministry of National Defense and the companies in the bidding, the two companies were EADS, which makes the Eurofighter, and Boeing, which makes the F-15SE. Both reportedly made bids that were within the budget.

This means F-35A maker Lockheed Martin, which is subject to US regulations on foreign military sales (FMS), was unable to give a definite bid.

As a result, EADS and Boeing both emerged with candidate models, while the US government, selling on behalf of Lockheed Martin, effectively ruled itself out.

Baek said provisional contracts would be drafted for the two companies, with a selection on final suitability based on a comprehensive weighted assessment in four categories.

The results are to be reported to the defense project promotion committee sometime in mid-September, he added. The committee is chaired by Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin.

Baek said the committee may choose to adopt the results, reject them, or request a conditional resubmission.

The biggest question now is whether the committee will go with the model selected by DAPA in its report. Given South Korea’s alliance with the US, most observers are expecting Seoul to choose the F-35A, which is currently under development there.

Between the two, the Eurofighter is known to have superior air combat capabilities. EADS pledged to produce 53 of the 60 aircraft targeted for purchase by the South Korean government in the country, while investing US$2 billion in the Korean-model fighter project.

The F-15SE, a remodeled version of the F-15K currently used by the Air Force, is reported to have superior armed capabilities and offer the best value in terms of purchase cost and maintenance. Perhaps its biggest advantage is the South Korea-US alliance and recent moves to postpone the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korea.

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