Test results of military equipment forged, says government agency

Posted on : 2014-03-18 11:49 KST Modified on : 2014-03-18 11:49 KST
Companies apparently exploited a loophole to save the time and costs of regularly replacing certain parts
 South Chungcheong Province
South Chungcheong Province

By Ha Eo-young, staff reporter

The official test results for parts used in key military equipment produced in South Korea were faked, a government agency said. The equipment includes the brake disc on the KF-16, the South Korean air force’s main fighter jet, and the windshield wiper gear on the KAI KUH-1 Surion, a locally manufactured helicopter (which President Park Geun-hye once rode during a test flight).

In a Mar. 17 press release, the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) reported that it had conducted a review of 280,000 official test scores for military equipment parts supplied over the past seven years. The review found that 2,749 of the scores had been fabricated or falsified by 241 companies supplying parts and raw materials, the agency said. The DTaQ also said that it had reported the guilty companies to the prosecutors.

In addition to the Surion and the KF-16, test scores were fabricated for hundreds of parts on firepower and logistics vehicles including the K-2, an advanced tank model; the K-21, an armored vehicle; and the K-9 and K-55A1, both self-propelled guns, the agency confirmed.

“So far, no cases have been found or complaints made about vehicles breaking down during use because of the fabricated and falsified parts,” the DTaQ said. “Nevertheless, since this can have a negative effect on the reliability and the credibility of the equipment in question, we are currently taking measures to replace all of the parts with normal parts.”

Significantly, 1,696 of the 2,749 cases of falsification and forgery - or 62% of the total - took place at three small companies, the report found. One company had falsified or fabricated test scores for 1,185 types of filters, another for 333 rubber products, and a third for 178 kinds of brackets. In the view of the agency, these small companies, which supply parts that must be frequently replaced, engaged in these activities in order to save the time and cost required for analyzing the test results.

“Smaller companies that were not able to meet the deadline for delivery or that were incapable of controlling quality took advantage of a loophole in the government’s quality control system so it would not be discovered that they had failed to meet standards,” said DTaQ director Choi Chang-gon.

As soon as the results of the prosecution’s investigation into these companies are released, the DTaQ will take steps to penalize them by designating them as bad businesses or by canceling their contracts. The agency is also planning to take action about the falsified products that have already been purchased by reducing payments made or by appropriating ill-gotten gains.

In addition, the agency announced that it would introduce a real-time inspection system for the test results and toughen on-site inspections.

 

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