Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has submitted a new proposal to refurbish eight ex-US Navy Lockheed Martin P-3B Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), writes Brendan Sobie.
Industry sources expect the company to receive a prime contract for the work, with either L-3 Communications or Lockheed Martin selected to supply mission equipment.
Rival bidder Korean Air (KAL) Aerospace has been ruled ineligible for the contract, as South Korea has opted to upgrade the P-3s under a licensed product case. KAI is the country's designated defence contractor and has the right of first refusal for such deals.
Lockheed Martin was partnered with KAL prior to the announcement, with L-3 teamed with KAI to offer refurbished P-3s throughout the Asian region.
However, under a recent programme revision, Lockheed Martin can still participate in the MPA project as a subcontractor to KAI, or through a direct data purchase contract with the South Korean government. Vendor selection is expected by the end of the third quarter.
KAI is lobbying for L-3 to be its mission system supplier, arguing that the company's open-architecture approach offers a better and more modern solution than that of Lockheed Martin.
The South Korean government last December agreed to buy nine surplus P-3Bs from the US government, ending three years of programme delays. Eight of the aircraft will receive a service life-extension and mission system upgrade, with the ninth to be used as a spare parts source.
Source: Flight International
