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KAI, Lockheed Martin selected for South Korea's indigenous KF-X fighter jet development program.
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World
Defense & Security Industry News - KAI & Lockheed Martin |
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| KAI, Lockheed Martin selected for South Korea's indigenous KF-X fighter jet development program | |||
South Korea's sole
aircraft manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., was picked as
the preferred bidder for the country's indigenous fighter jet development
program Monday, the arms procurement agency said. Codenamed KF-X, the
8.5 trillion won ($7.69 billion) project calls for South Korea to develop
fighter jets of the F-16 class to replace its aging fleet of F-4s and
F-5s. Some 120 jets are to be put into service starting around 2025.
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 One of the preliminary designs of KAI KF-X fighter jet |
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KAI,
in partnership with US company Lockheed Martin has vied with Seoul's top
air carrier, Korean Air Lines Co., which teamed up with Airbus Defense
and Space. The tender required participants to have a foreign technical
assistance company.
"After reviewing their development plan, ability and bid price by the evaluation team comprised of government officials and experts, we've selected KAI as the preferred bidder," the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said in a statement. The decision was approved at a defense project committee meeting presided over by Defense Minister Han Min-koo. "We will make a final selection after completing negotiations on details to launch the project in the first half of this year,"it added. Industrial watchers say KAI has a technical edge over Korean Air based upon its experience developing the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer and the country's utility helicopter, the Surion. |
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