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S. Korea seeking early purchase of stealth jets
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is moving to introduce the fifth generation of stealth fighter jets at an early date to replace its aging Air Force fighters and to secure capabilities to counter North Korea's increasing provocations, government sources said Sunday.The move comes after the parliament cut the defense ministry's request for some 15.7 billion won (US$14 million) to launch a new fighter jet procurement program this year, granting only 300 million won. "There is a growing consensus within the government that the next-generation fighter program must be launched at an early date," a government source said. "There is only a 300 million won fund for research this year, but (the government) may allocate additional funds from its defense budget if necessary." South Korea purchased 60 F-15K fighter jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing under an earlier program, known as FX II, and is set to have some of the remaining 20 aircraft from the program delivered before the end of next year. The government now seeks to introduce and weaponize new stealth fighters before the target year. "There has been a call for the military's increased capabilities for precision strikes since North Korea's provocations in the northwestern region last year," a government source said. "And this has also led to a growing voice in the government to speed up the next fighter jet program." The new fighter jet program is expected to be worth some 10 trillion won ($8.97 billion). Possible candidates for jets include Boeing's F-15SE and Lockheed Martin's F-35, sources said. Posted by: Steve White 2011-01-30 |
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