Posted on 07/09/2013 12:28:15 AM PDT by TexGrill
The bidding process for Korea’s largest-ever procurement project was halted temporarily as weeks of price negotiations failed to produce an affordable price tag for new fighter jets.
“Since June 18 to Friday, we had 55 rounds of price-bidding with three contenders,” Baek Yoon-hyeong, spokesman of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said Sunday. “But none of them came within our budget limit. It is meaningless to continue the bidding under these circumstances.”
Korea kicked off its next-generation fighter jet project, code-named F-X III, last year. Three global builders competed to win the 8.3 trillion won ($7.21 billion) deal, through which Korea will purchase 60 new jets.
The contenders are the F-15 Silent Eagle by Boeing, the F-35 Lightning II by Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter Typhoon of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS). The Defense Acquisition Program Administration started the final stage of the project last month, asking the three builders to participate in the price bidding. They already wrapped up most of the processes last month, including submission of their offset packages.
According to a source, one of the three bidders presented a price tag close to the Korean government’s budget, but the Defense Acquisition Program Administration remained firm that it will not go over the budget under any circumstance.
“We will review the process closely and decide what we will do with the project,” Baek said.
The procurement agency is contemplating whether it will go ahead with the current competition by holding more bidding rounds with the three contenders or if it will restart the bidding with new standards.
(Excerpt) Read more at koreajoongangdaily.joins.com ...
They should find a plane with a high residual scrap value.
No one on the future battlefield will have traditional air superiority. This is because some future planes will be too small to detect and too numerous to destroy. The future holds autonomous and/or remotely piloted planes ranging in size from slightly smaller than today’s planes to house fly. They will be able to rearm and refuel in the air and many will remain airborne for the entire conflict.
The pilot is already the limiting factor in maneuverability.
You remind me of a documentary I watched on the Discovery Channel. It claimed that all future global wars would be fought by robots and drones. I thought the graphics made for a good Hollywood film, but I had to ask, when countries are at war, don’t they want to kill enemy live human soldiers, not soldierbots? Sure it may be inconvenient to die for your country, but a soldierbot dying for it’s country isn’t a big deal.
“but I had to ask, when countries are at war, don’t they want to kill enemy live human soldiers, not soldierbots?”
In a war with, say, China, the US mainland would likely be blanketed with autonomous or remotely piloted very small craft. These could range widely attacking civilians with small caliber ammo, viruses, or chemical weapons. America would rapidly lose the will to fight for some far-off ideal if voters were at risk directly. It is very hard for a nation with elected leaders to engage in wars. There is no way to make a war “popular” anymore. Certainly, the idea of patriotism has been beaten out of our school system in favor of multiculturalism. If “their” lifestyle and political system is equivalent to ours what are we fighting for?
Also, we can look forward to frequent EMP attacks which will, after a short conflict, render our civilization inoperable. Imagine young voters deprived of cellphones and iPads. Oh, the humanity.
Did the Japanese ever hear of the F16 Falcon.That plane was designed to be inexpensive to build and operate and doesn’t lack much in an offensive punch either.
F16’s would be a good interim purchase pending the purchase of the F35 or F22 or what ever indiginous fighter they can develop.
Did the Japanese ever hear of the F16 Falcon.That plane was designed to be inexpensive to build and operate and doesn’t lack much in an offensive punch either.
F16’s would be a good interim purchase pending the purchase of the F35 or F22 or what ever indiginous fighter they can develop.
Japanese should have been South Korea.Heck when I was last there in 1979,The ROKAF was still flying the F86 Sabre jet as their top of the line fighter.
Sounds like a Saab story.................
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