Free Republic

S. Korea to Upgrade KF-16 Fighter Jets By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The South Korean Air Force is looking to upgrade the radar and armament systems of its KF-16 fleet in an effort to boost the country's air defense capability, a military source said Friday. The plan, part of the 2010-2014 arms acquisition and management package, will be reported to President Lee Myung-bak soon for final approval, the source told The Korea Times. The Air Force is operating about 135 U.S. Lockheed Martin-built KF-16 fighters, which were purchased from the United States or built locally under a $5.5-billion licensing agreement...

The South Korean Defence ministry announced that a KF-16D from Seosan AB crashed into the Yellow Sea on Tuesday around 12:20h local time, both pilots ejected safely. The KF-16D crashed in waters west of the Korean Peninsula in Yellow Sea, about 40 km off Taean County, South Chungcheong Province. The fighter was on a training flight, taking off from Seosan at 11:50h. The two pilot and were rescued by a pair of helicopters, said the South Korean Air Force, also adding that the two pilots were not in critical conditions. The cause of the accident wasn't immediately known, but the...

2nd LD) Seoul eyes advanced jets beyond F-15K SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea Friday unveiled its ambition to procure fifth-generation fighter jets such as F-22 and F-35, made by Lockheed Martin of the United States, to keep up with the air superiority of neighboring powers. Japan is aggressively pushing for the purchase of F-22 fighters, which can evade radar and carry out various attacks, citing growing threats from China and North Korea. A senior U.S. official said that the issue will be discussed in a summit between U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe...

Boeing Left as Sole Bidder for Fighter Contract U.S. aerospace company Boeing will likely be the sole bidder to participate in the second phase of Korea’s F-X fighter jet procurement project. Korea will purchase 20 F-15K fighter jets in the second phase of the defense project between 2010 and 2012. Originally three bidders were expected to compete to win the contract: U.S. defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, European consortium Eurofighter International and Boeing. Lockheed Martin recently withdrew its bid and now Eurofighter has also decided not to participate. According to a military source, Eurofighter’s agent European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co....

Boeing Named as Early Warning Aircraft Provider (Source: Korea Overseas Information Service; issued Nov. 8, 2006) U.S. aerospace giant Boeing has been named the winner of a deal to equip the Korean Air Force with four airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in stages by 2012, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The decision was made at a meeting of the agency's supreme committee, chaired by Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung, in Seoul, DAPA officials said. The agency and Boeing agreed on a price of about $1.6 billion for the deal, codenamed “E-X,” they said....

IAI loses $1.5b South Korea AWACS tender IAI unit Elta Systems was disqualified because it lacked US export licenses for key systems. Ron Paz 3 Aug 06 17:27 Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (IAI) and its Elta Systems Group subsidiary have suffered a heavy blow. The South Korean Ministry of Defense has disqualified Elta’s proposal to supply four AWACS plans, worth $1.5 billion. The decision leaves Boeing (NYSE:BA) as the sole proposal in the tender, and brings to an end the year-long prestigious head-to-head confrontation. The decision was taken during a meeting of the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)...

IAI hires Seoul PR firm in battle with Boeing The two companies are bidding in the $1.4 billion South Korean tender for early warning aircraft. Amnon Barzilai 3 Jul 06 19:04 Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (IAI) has hired a PR agency in Seoul, to assist in it its battle with Boeing (NYSE: BA) for the $1.4 billion tender to provide early warning aircraft to South Korea. Local media representatives have been given information about Israeli technology as well as details of Boeing’s failure to meet the timetable on a similar project that it is carrying out for the Australian air...