Buying American meets military needs

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Buying American meets military needs

South Korea again chose the "Made-in-U.S.A." label. From the beginning of the air force's next generation fighter jet project, the government attached great importance on the U.S.-South Korea alliance by weighting the selection process to favor the U.S. firm.

Military experts said the Boeing F-15K is outdated compared to the other contenders, including the French-built Dassault Rafale, but the F-15K naturally won out when it came to compatibility with other American hardware, which turned out to be the deciding factor in the selection process. As the Ministry of National Defense declared Boeing's anti-climactic victory, the military alliance between Seoul and Washington was reinforced amid a rapidly changing security reality surrounding the peninsula.

The F-X project, worth 4.2 trillion won ($3.23 billion), was one of the largest arms deals in recent years and triggered unusually hot competition between the fighter jet makers. Dassault and other contenders offered discounts in price and technological support to compete against the American firm; Boeing allowed the F-15E, which the F-15K is based on, to be tested by a non-U.S. air force for the first time in order to maintain its edge.

Military experts said the Boeing jet, which reportedly outperforms Japan's new F-2s and China and Russia's Su-35s, will improve the strategic capability of South Korea's Air Force.

The F-15K will provide much greater range than the air force's older F-16s. The new fighters will reportedly be able to cover over half of Northeast Asia. Once the air force gets the tankers for in-flight refueling it plans to buy, all of Northeast Asia will be in range.

Buying the Boeing jets is expected to speed South Korea's plan to produce its own fighters with the transfer of core technology. Seoul increased the requirement for the off-set package to 70 percent of the total contract price from 30 percent, hoping to ensure technology support. And Boeing reportedly has agreed so far to transfer its design, anti-radar and weapons control systems.

by Kim Min-seok

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