Brendan Sobie / Singapore
South Korea’s ministry of national defence appeared to have cleared the way last week for two new major deals with Boeing, covering the sale of an additional 20 F-15K fighters and potentially four 737-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
The ministry included the F-15Ks in its new five-year spending plan during an acquisition meeting on 17 May. Industry sources expect the deal to receive final approval from South Korea’s legislature later this year, with a contract to be signed in the first half of next year and deliveries to begin in late 2009 or early 2010.
Seoul originally sought to buy 120 new fighters, but placed a reduced launch order for 40 F-15Ks in 2002. Its air force has so far received four aircraft, with two more to be delivered next month and the last platform from its initial order scheduled for delivery in August 2008.
The air force is understood to have initially requested the expansion of its F-15K fleet to 80 aircraft under the new five-year plan.
Boeing has been lobbying to secure follow-on F-15 orders from Singapore, South Korea and the US Air Force to avoid a break in production from late 2009, when the last of Singapore’s 12 F-15SGs will be delivered. South Korea has not yet requested delivery slots for its proposed new batch of aircraft, but based on Boeing’s current build rate, its order would safeguard F-15 production until the second half of 2011. If confirmed, the deal will also give Singapore up to two more years to decide whether to exercise options for eight more F-15SGs.
South Korea and Singapore were the first F-15 customers to select the General Electric F100-129 engine, but industry sources say Pratt & Whitney is trying to persuade Seoul to hold an engine competition for its next batch of F-15Ks. Its air force is expected to decide within the next few months whether to ask P&W and South Korea’s Samsung Techwin to submit a bid for a new batch of locally built F100-229s.
Seoul will decide over the next few years whether to buy a third batch of F-15Ks or move forward with a separate F-X fighter programme now under study, and is also considering a $2 billion package of upgrades for its Lockheed Martin F-16s.
Boeing could be poised to receive a further orders boost from South Korea following a defence ministry decision to delay an anticipated AEW&C selection. An Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI)-led team is expected to receive a deadline to secure the required export clearances from the US government by mid-June or face possible elimination. Some sources suggest it will be impossible for IAI to meet South Korea’s terms, clearing the way for a sole-source deal to be signed with Boeing by mid-year for Northrop Grumman Mesa radar-equipped 737s.
Source: Flight International
