hankyoreh

By Ha Eo-young, staff reporter

A defense project committee chaired by Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin decided on the F-35A, made by the US company Lockheed Martin, as the final model for its next-generation FX fighter project.

The military is expected to purchase 40 aircraft through a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) between governments, at an estimated cost of 7.4 trillion won (US$6.9 billion). The committee also plans to buy four state-of-the-art Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft.

At a regular briefing on Mar. 24, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it plans to hold testing and negotiations on the F-35A following the decision, with eventual plans to sign a contract for an FMS purchase of 40 aircraft sometime in the third quarter of 2014. The parties to the contract would be DAPA, a South Korean government agency, and the US Department of the Air Force. The price would be set at the amount charged for Lockheed Martin’s supply to the US at the time of the F-35A’s delivery to South Korea, which is currently around 7.4 trillion won for 40 aircraft, or 185 billion won (US$171.7 million) apiece.

In an FMS arrangement, all price and technology negotiations will take place with the US Department of the Air Force, while negotiations for offset trade in return for the contract will be held with the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin. Offset trade refers to pledges for re-exports of South Korean weapons and parts or the transfer of fighter-related technology from the seller for large-scale weapons purchases such as this one. DAPA plans to maintain its current offset trade guidelines, in which the manufacturer has to transfer technology and/or offer domestic parts supplies equivalent to 50% or more of the contracted amount.

The defense project committee approved a plan to purchase the Global Hawk, a high-altitude (13.7 km or more) unmanned aerial vehicle (HUAV). The price is to be 880 billion won (US$816.6 million) for four aircraft, or 220 billion won (US$204.2 million) apiece, also through an FMS arrangement.

The Global Hawk is equipped with radar and infrared detection devices that allow it to identify objects down as small as 30 cm on the earth’s surface from a height of 20 km.

The committee also approved a 155 mm extended range project for the K-55A1 self-propelled artillery and a next-generation tactical guided weapon program to target North Korean long-range artillery.

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