Korean Air, Airbus sign accord for jet fighter bid

SEOUL: KoreanAirandEuropean aerospacegiantAirbushavesigned an agreement to jointly bid for an US$8-billion jet fighter project, an airline spokesman said yesterday, pitting t hem against a team comprisedofLockheedMartinand Korea Aerospace Industries.

Theprojectisdesignedtodevelop and produce 120 fighter jets of a new ‘indigenous’ type to replace the country’s ageing fleet of F-4s and F-5s.

“We’ve signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus,” a Korean Air spokesman told AFP.

One of the conditions of the bid is that local enterprises tie up with foreign companies to secure technological assistance, according to Seoul’s Yonhap news agency.

The pair will compete with KoreaAerospaceIndustries,which has teamed up with America’s Lockheed Martin.

South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Programme Administration plans to announce the final winner in July.

The Korean Air/Airbus alliance would have to present a totally new design as the Eurofighter Typhoon’s delta wings do not fit South Korea’s specifications, an analyst said.

“Eurofighter does not fit the swept-wing concept favoured by South Korea”, Lee Il-Woo of Korea Defence Network told AFP.

Korean Air currently operates aircraft maintenance workshops for both the South Korean and US airforce and has many years of experience in manufacturing wings for Boeing.

“Korean Air would play a role as a manufacturer with technological assistance from Airbus”, Lee said.

The rival bidder, KAI, had the experience of developing South Korea’s first supersonic aircraft along with Lockheed Martin in 2002. But both Korean Air and KAI need assistance from their foreign partners in designing a new jet fighter, Lee said.

The Korean Air/Airbus couple is likely to enjoy more room to manoeuvre in terms of technology transfer over the rivals.

“The US government does not want to see aircraft know-how changinghands”inaprojectwhere the Indonesian government would have a 20-per cent stake, Lee said. — AFP