speaking of Korea....
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South Korea moves closer to follow-on Boeing F-15K buy
By Siva Govindasamy
South Korea could soon finalise a deal for 20 more Boeing F-15Ks,
with the US manufacturer reportedly offering an additional aircraft
for free to replace a fighter that crashed last year.
Seoul opened a competition for a further 20 fighters last year,
following its earlier order for 40 F-15Ks, but Boeing was the only
company to respond. A second attempt to elicit a competition failed
after the Eurofighter consortium decided against offering its
Typhoon.
Price negotiations began last year, and although some observers
thought South Korea was at a disadvantage because of the lack of
competition, Boeing is keen to secure a fresh order to restore
confidence in the F-15 programme following the type's recent
grounding and inspection by the US Air Force. Although last year's
F-15K crash was attributed to pilot error, one Seoul-based source
says Boeing will be keen to de-link the incident from its recent
problems in the USA, which affect some early-model F-15s.
"There has been some talk in Seoul about the viability of the
F-15s, but Boeing has assured the government that the fighters are
safe," the source adds. "Offering an additional F-15 could be a
sign of goodwill."
Negotiations are expected to conclude in late January, with
deliveries likely to begin around 2010. South Korea has so far
taken delivery of 30 F-15Ks from its launch order, with the rest
likely to follow by year-end.
Meanwhile, Seoul is expected to launch another competition in about
two years' time for a next-generation fighter to be delivered from
2014, with interest focused on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter or F-22. But delays to the former project and the US
government's refusal to export the Raptor could scupper the plan,
and perhaps prompt South Korea to seek a further batch of 20 F-15s
until either does become available.
DATE:25/01/08
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
