Deal seen going to Boeing

Home > National > Politics

print dictionary print

Deal seen going to Boeing

The South Korean government is leaning toward the U.S.-built Boeing F-15K for its next-generation fighter jet project over the French-made Dassault Rafale. The contract to supply 40 new warplanes by 2009 is worth 4.2 trillion won ($3.23 billion).

The National Defense Ministry spokesman, Hwang Eui-don, said Wednesday that the ministry will move on to a new study between the F-15K and the Rafale, after the first round of evaluation concluded with less than a three-percentage-point difference between their scores. The Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and the European consortium's Eurofighter Typhoon were the other two contenders.

The government had already made clear that the new study would weigh policy issues including the U.S.-South Korea alliance, which would favor the F-15K because of its interoperability with U.S. military. But sticky price negotiations remain. Boeing reportedly offered to build the 40 fighter jets for $4.46 billion.

"Of the four criteria that we consider, Su-35 topped the field in life-cycle costs for purchase and maintenance, F-15K was ahead in compatibility with existing weapons systems and Rafale stood out in technology transfer and contract terms," said Choi Dong-jin, deputy defense minister for acquisition. "We cannot comment on the operational capabilities of the four planes."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy will take part in the second evaluation, and the Defense Ministry will make the selection at its procurement meeting in mid-April, Mr. Choi added. The Defense Ministry plans to get presidential agreement before the end of April and sign a formal contract with the selected supplier in May.

Despite the government's emphasis on the transparency of the procurement program, the decision to move on to a second evaluation met with strong opposition from some civic groups.

Dassault was tight-lipped on the ministry's decision. Yves Robins, the French firm's international relations vice president, and Jean Bernard Ouvrieu, a special French government envoy, are currently discussing the firm's next move.

The French firm has been implicated in a series of scandals about illegal lobbying activities. Two South Korean air force colonels have been arrested on charges of accepting bribes from the French airplane maker's agent in Seoul and leaking classified information. South Korean police seeking evidence in the case seized computers and other material from another Dassault local agency, Alfred Communications, on Friday.

by Kim Min-seok

Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)