South Korea might buy 40 4th generation jets

[Elite Brain]

What options does S.Korea have other than the F-35? It already operates F-16s,F-15s (FX)......



(Source: Korean Information Service; issued May 2, 2005)

The government will determine this month whether to buy additional next-generation fighter jets, after it completes introducing 40 F-15Ks under a procurement project, code-named F-X, the Defense Ministry said on Monday (May 2).

South Korea has been pushing to introduce another 40 fighters after it concludes the F-X project in 2009 to replace its aging F-5 and F-4 jets.

"The decision is expected to be made within May," said ministry spokesman Shin Hyun-don at a news briefing. "It’s a matter which needs approval by the president."

The ministry, the National Security Council and other government agencies have been working on details of the new project, Shin said.

South Korea maintains 680,000 troops to deter possible aggression from North Korea, which has a 1.1 million-member military, the world’s fifth largest.

 

[Aussie Digger]

IIRC, Korea took out 40 "options" when it made the initial purchase for 40 F-15K fighters. A follow-on order of F-15K's is more than likely IMHO. This will give South Korea a combat force of 80 F-15K's (the most advanced version of the Eagle in service) and 150 F-16's. It is also shopping around for an AWACS system, so it's becoming quite a force to be reckoned with...

 

[Elite Brain]

I would have guessed they'd go for the EuroFighter or JSF.Didnt know they were goin for 40 more F-15s. I know Samsung manufactures the South Korean F16s . What type to AWACS are they going for? Eireyes , Wedgetails or Sentrys? Japan pretty much has the same mix of planes (F-15s and F-16s) and E3 AWACS doesnt it?

 

[Aussie Digger]

Yeah, but Japan's F-15's aren't air to ground capable and the F-2 is a Japanese F-16 variant, which is actually less capable than normal F-16's but cost in the vicinity of $150 million a pop, hence the drastic reduction to only 87 purchased...

South Korea chose the Wedgetail AWACS before cancelling the original project. It has a requirement for 4 AWACS aircraft and Wedgetail would have to be the front runner at this stage...