Article Posted on : - Aug 20, 2013

The F-15SE Demonstrator. A Boeing photo

SEOUL (BNS): With the exit of Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon, Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle is now the sole candidate for South Korea's multibillion-dollar fighter jet project, a Yonhap news report said.

One of the two finalists for the fighter project - the Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon - by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) was eliminated due to problems with their documents, the report quoting DAPA said.

Although the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration required the bidders to submit prices for 15 two-seater jets and 45 single-seat jets, EADS reduced the number of double-seater aircraft to six, and offered prices based on the British pound, it said.

The competition for the South Korean fighter project narrowed down to two firms last week after Boeing and EADS offered their fighter jets for prices below the nation's state budget set at 8.3 trillion won (US$7.2 billion). Another contender, Lockheed Martin, submitted a price for its F-35 stealth exceeding the state budget.

DAPA will now conduct an assessment on the jets and select the winner in a committee meeting in mid-September which will be presided over by Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin.

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) is to procure the advanced combat jets under the third phase of its fighter modernisation programme, code-named "F-X."

Seoul has purchased 60 Boeing F-15 fighter jets since 2002.

Boeing has stressed on the interoperability of the F-15 SE with other models purchased in the first two stages of the fighter modernisation progsrammes. The aircraft's Conformal Weapons Bays can carry a variety of air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons.