Lockheed Martin Joins Bidding for
Korean Aerospace Industries

Asian Aerospace 2000 -- Lockheed Martin is joining forces with the Rafale industry team -- Dassault, Snecma and Thomson-CSF -- in its bid to acquire a share of the newly formed Korean Aerospace Industries group. The U.S. company, the Rafale group and Aerospatiale Matra will submit a binding offer to KAI at the end of the month.

The Rafale is one of three twin-engined Western fighters being proposed for Korea's F-X competition, the others being the F-15 and Typhoon. Lockheed Martin is currently ruled out of the F-X competition because Korea insists on a twin and the F-22 is not yet cleared for export.

But Lockheed Martin is closely linked to Korea's fighter builders and operators through the F-16 and the KTX-2 supersonic fighter-trainer. The U.S. firm says no discussions have yet taken place regarding Lockheed Martin support of a Rafale bid in Korea.

The Lockheed Martin bid, the company says, combines the U.S. company's record in technology transfer to Korea (via the F-16 and KTX-2) with Aerospatiale Matra's access to the EADS commercial and space businesses -- including Airbus, which could provide KAI with high-technology aerostructures work.

By Bill Sweetman