Sunday, September 22, 2013

F-35 setback. S. Korea to buy F-15SE


via Yonhapnews.
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- U.S. aerospace giant Boeing is moving closer to win South Korea's 8.3 trillion won (US$7.2 billion) contract as the state procurement agency is set to recommend F-15 Silent Eagle as the sole candidate that comes within the budget in an upcoming meeting of top military officials.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has completed biddings and evaluations on three jets -- Boeing's F-15 SE, Lockheed Martin's F-35 and the EADS' Eurofighter -- and briefed President Park Geun-hye on the results earlier this month.
The DAPA said Monday it will hold a subcommittee meeting later in the day to review the evaluation process and make a final decision on Tuesday in a meeting presided by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, without elaborating which jet scored the highest.
"The meeting will yield a final decision on the fighter jet project," DAPA spokesman Baek Yoon-hyung said in a briefing. "There will be no expansion in the program budget at this point."
The DAPA meeting is authorized to deliberate only on whether to accept or reject the recommended candidate, without any say on choosing another candidate or expanding the budget.
If confirmed, Boeing will provide 60 F-15 SEs between 2017 and 2021 to operate alongside 60 F-15Ks, which have been adopted since 2002, effectively replacing the South Korean Air Force's aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s.
Done deal.

Scratch 60 F-35's from the order books.

The death spiral picks up steam. 

30 comments :

  1. I guess that answers my question from the other thread. I am rarely excited for it to be Tuesday, but this week is looking to be a pleasantly strange week.

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    1. when you were typing that, i was putting this little ditty together.

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    2. lol, I ask my question at good timing then. ;)

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  2. Watch LMT trolls and all the pro JSF crowd come out in full force and say they never expected to win or that it doesn't really matter, it was such a small order it wont have any effect on JSF program....

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    1. oh its gonna be righteous fury. the S. Koreans are gonna be idiots because they're fiscally responsible and refuse to be rendered defenseless by a costly purchase of a few F-35's that will perform inadequately against even 4++gen fighters.

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    2. I'm not angry at all.

      The budget was fixed, and neither the Eurofighter of the F-35 got under the cutoff.

      And an 4++ fighter has never encountered an F-35.

      Lets wait for Red Flag 2018 to see what happens :)

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    3. Watch the anti-JSF brigade tell us how corrupt South Korea must now be, eh NICO?

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  3. I guess you can't do a giga-dollar FMS deal with nothing to show for it but some PowerPoint slides and an over-cooked game simulator.

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    1. As Boeing reportedly said: You've got brochures and we've got airplanes. (But your description is at least as good. Perhaps B. will pick it up.)

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    2. I guess you've proven once again you don't have the faintest idea of what you are talking about, eh Eric?

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  4. I thought they would by F15s because they already operate them, recently acquired some more and manufacture their own planes (which is something they probably wouldn't be able to do with the F35). Good choice, the F15SE will provide them with a good multirole capacity. The LM reps and fanboys will be screaming bloody murder saying that these koreans are stupid because the F35 is much newer.....

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  5. Who knows, maybe once they assimilate the tech. they will also upgrade their existing F-15 to the Silent Eagle version. 120 next Gen fighters keeping their defense budget under control.

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  6. Australia and Canada should do the same with the adv. SH

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    1. The Australians will have an extra 24 Super Hornets and will have upgraded to some of the ASH components (conformal tanks for range) long before the JSF is rolling down a runway down under.

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  7. Boeing was the only bid under the cost cap.

    I don't hear anyone shiting all over the Eurofighter and screaming DEATH SPIRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Plus, Boeing essentially paid for a new S. Korea AF base to win.

    Not to mention the South Koreans WILL procure other jets. Like the F-35, just not this instant.

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  8. This is why the F-35 is starting to price countries out and they are slowly trying to back out and look for alternatives such as the F-15SE, ASH, Gripens, Rafales and Eurofighters. Just wait until they see the true cost of the F-35 and you will see more and more countries switching to F-35 alternatives.

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    1. F-15SE = 100 million USD, not stealthy. No IRST.

      Gripen = an F-16 with fewer hardpoints; 60 million USD

      Rafales = maybe 1 export order, line will shut down in 2019 with no more orders. Costs 80 MILLION USD for essentially a French Super Hornet. Has insanely high maintenance costs. Thankfully, it has AESA and IRST, but it is too much, for too little.

      Typhoon = EWuropean wide jobs program, 110 million USD a jet. NO AESA. NOT stealthy, essentially a European F-15, that manages to cost more than an F-15.

      Advanced Super Hornet = non-functional prototype, will cost in the mid-70 millions. Is an evolution of the 1970s era design. "stealth" weapon pods are still big pods dangling off the jet, destroying maneuverability. Has AESA, but no IRST as of yet, and CFTs add weight and drag.

      The Dutch were offered 85 Gripens, and still turned Saab down. The Gripen is essentially for 3rd world nations to lease, or for the Swiss to buy for show.

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    2. Basically, the F-35 is going to bankrupt many militaries around the world. I think with South Korea deal with the F-15SE, is a sure sign that countries are slowly backing away from the F-35 and looking for F-35 alternatives. The price of the F-35 now, would surely bankrupt most air forces. They might as well start looking for Alternatives to the F-35.

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    3. You didn't even reply to my costs.

      What is the alternative?

      There isn't one.

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    4. Actually I heard they offered the plane for 57M each to the Netherlands (not 60M) including all the support equipment, services and a over 100% industrial offset agreement and a SK varriant of F16 went for 30m Ea. The Grippens are the only plane capable of fulfilling the F16s air-policing (low capability) role short of another F16! The other planes are suitibly different (larger, significantly more expensive) to invalidate any comparison. The grippen is a very capable plane and has the advantage of not being near EOL, the NG version closed the gap in terms of deliverable air-ground payload substantially and the Grippen has one of the best electronic/sensor suites. Not to mention it is a very affordable bird.

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  9. Meanwhile in China:http://www.aereo.jor.br/2013/09/21/china-vai-produzir-1-200-cacas-j-10/
    Yes lets not look at advanced F-15s and F-16s ...of interest,the F-16 costs half as much as the F-35 and the F-15 DOES have the range to be relevant in the PacRim...

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    1. Umm, Nuno, a BRAND new Block 50/52 F-16 costs 45 MILLION usd. Source : a close family member works on the F-16 program. A Block 60 is pushing 60 million USD.

      45 x 2 is 90 million, more than an F-35A, and that block 50 has NO AESA, no EO-DAS, no internal weapons carriage, no stealth, ect.

      The J-10 is roughly equivalent to a Block 30/32 F-16, from the early 1990s. So, unless the USA wants to stand STILL and have China achieve tech party with the USA, go right on ahead and build more F-16s. Or we could leapfrog them with a stealth jet.

      Also, you should know that the F-18 is out of the F-X2 competition, as Diema Roussef now hates the USA for tapping her phones :)

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    2. "45 x 2 is 90 million, more than an F-35A"

      Not really. We are not blessed with actual audited cost figures, but the F-35A is up in the $130 million range.

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    3. Sorry David ,my bad...when i posted i was thinking in an F-16 block 60 on steroids...better engine,IRST,AESA,RCS reduction a la ASH...i was thinking 60 million...that is twice as cheap than the F-35...with engine...an buy yourself a SuperTucano with the change...

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  10. David McSpadden, do you think to make functional the Advanced SH prototype is as complicated and expensive as to make functional the 100 F-35 prototypes?

    The maneuverability of the ASH is as good as an Super Hornet carrying 4 Amraams acording to Boeing.

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    1. according to Boeing...... How many pods is the ASH carrying?

      The Super isn't exactly a maneuverable jet to begin with.

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  11. R U kidding?

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeepBsGXG2w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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  12. Wrong. SK just cancelled the whole program and is restarting it in order to ensure it gets F-35 as it comprehensively out-pointed both the Typhoon and F-15SE in open evaluation in every respect except price...

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