The defense minister will chair a meeting next
Wednesday to review the failed bidding process so far. A range of options can
be considered, include restarting the process from scratch, an official at the
Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.
DAPA suspended bidding after none of the entries,
Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 (LMT.N), Boeing Co's F-15 (BA.N) and EADS's
Eurofighter Typhoon (EAD.PA), submitted bids meeting the required price.
"If the auction falls apart, we will consider
all possible options, possibly including splitting the purchase, and find the
best solution," the official said.
Officials at Boeing and Lockheed said they were
waiting for details on the way forward in the competition.
Boeing spokeswoman Amy Horton said Boeing had
proposed a competitive price for its new F-15SE fighters, as well as a
comprehensive program involving technology transfer and work for South Korean
industry.
Lockheed spokesman Michael Rein said Lockheed
remained convinced that its F-35 fighter offered a significant increase in
combat capability. He said the company would continue to asset the U.S.
government in their offer to the Korean government.
South Korea has been pushing to buy 60 fighters to
replace its ageing jets, such as F-5s and F-4s, starting from 2017, in order to
better face threats posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
Given the close military ties with the United
States, experts said U.S. manufacturers are favored over Eurofighter.
However, differences over price have delayed the
final selection, which DAPA previously said was planned in June.
Apart from capabilities of the individual aircraft,
South Korea is also focusing on the offset value of the bids and the assistance
that competitors will offer for its homegrown fighter jet development program.
($1 = 1135.7000 Korean won)
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