South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Committee has approved the purchase of an additional 21 Boeing F-15Ks, but will switch engine suppliers.

The 40 F-15Ks ordered in 2002 are powered by General Electric F110s; the additional aircraft will have Pratt & Whitney’s F100, which powers Korea’s Lockheed Martin KF-16s.

The additional F-15Ks will meet the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (R0KAF) Next Fighter FX2 requirement, which was for 20 aircraft. Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has not specified the number of aircraft to be purchased under FX2, but says it “unexpectedly acquired one additional fighter” within its budget range as a result of negotiations with Boeing. Local media are reporting the order is for 21 aircraft.

The additional aircraft will offset the loss of an F-15K in 2006, but was the result of negotiations and not an offer of compensation from Boeing, says DAPA, which stresses “the cause of the crash was not the fault of the jet, so there are no reasons for Boeing to offer compensation”.

DAPA says the FX2 contract terms also are more favorable than for FX1, and include increased purchases of spare parts, “as well as raising the bar on the manufacturer’s responsibilities for delivering on the contract.” The agency attributes the improved terms to the reduction in required offsets from 85 percent for FX1 to 33 percent for FX2, saying it used the difference in offset rate to its advantage during negotiations.

Defeated in the original FX1 competition, Pratt & Whitney offered the Engine Enhancement Program F100-229 to power the FX2 aircraft. This has a 6,000-cycle life compared with 4,000 cycles for the original -229 engine. DAPA says both engine manufacturers “fought hard to win the section”, but Pratt & Whitney “offered a better package in terms of better pricing, part production sharing, and warrant options.” Korea’s Samsung Techwin will produce the engines.

As the F100 powers the ROKAF’s KF-16s, the engines already are within the air force’s loogistics system, says DAPA, which argues that having two different powerplants in its F-15Ks will ensure at least part of the fleet is operational in the event of a problem with either engine.

Photo: Boeing