Korea’s Next-gen Fighter Jets
Lockheed Martin revealed on December 5 that it will actively transfer technologies including providing hundreds of thousands of technology–related documents when Korea decides on the F-35A for the procurement of Korea’s next-generation fighter jets, code-named KF-X.
“Lockheed has made a comprehensive offer through our offset program for the KF-X, which would include assistance through technology transfer and engineering expertise that we would place in Korea to help design and develop the KF-X jets,” Dave Scott, director of the Bethesda-based firm’s F-35 international business development, said in a press briefing to Korean reporters in Washington DC. He added that Korea would be the first country with which Lockheed would make an offset contract for such a kind of technology transfer.
Citing Lockheed’s partnership with Korea for the development of the T-50 trainer jets, he said, “We are now fully committed to a successful KF-X program, as we assisted on the T-50 program.”
More specifically, he said that Lockheed will provide a comprehensive data package, including information on related fighter jet programs and sending experts to Korea “to work side-by-side with Korean designers.”
South Korea plans to buy 40 F-35s starting in 2018, with the possibility open for the purchase of 20 more. Scott, however, said that the first delivery can be made as early as 2017.
Related with the price, he forecast that the actual price will be lowered in 2017 when the first delivery would be made, saying that the final prices will be decided by the governments of the two sides. He added, “The price of a fighter jet in that period of time would go down to approximately US$85 million.”