Fighter Development Program Faces Crash

[tigershark]

Fighter Development Program Faces Crash
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

South Korea is likely to scrap an ambitious project to build its own version of a stealth fighter as it has been assessed as nonviable economically and technically, military sources said Sunday.

The fighter development program, codenamed KF-X, aims to produce a multi-role fifth-generation aircraft suited to network-centric warfare after 2020 to replace outdated F-4Es and F-5Es and to market it globally.

The Korea Development Institute (KDI) concluded last month that the KF-X program would not be affordable, according to the sources.

The KF-X development would cost at least $10 billion but bring about only $3 billion in economic benefits, making the economics of the aircraft unsustainable, said the sources, citing a KDI report over the KF-X's economic feasibility mandated by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The KDI is updating its report to make it public by March, they said.

DAPA officials said, however, the debates on the fate of the KF-X program are still under way, as some argue the fighter development should go on despite its low economic feasibility, to acquire key aircraft technology through joint research and development with foreign partners.

Full story
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/01/205_18011.html

[valkyrian]

I don't know how good is South Korean economy, but they should seek collaboration with the Japs, so they could develop a new stealth fighter. Both they have technology, both are constructing aircraft (Samsung & Mitsubishi), together they share the costs and they spread the production. Correct me if i'm wrong, is Japan in the F-35 program?

[tigershark]

Japan isn't currently in the F-35 program but as a important allied pretty show they could buy themselves in.   It has always surprised me that South Korea and Japan haven't joined together on different projects.  I think this is a throw back to WW-II, Japan was pretty rough on Korea and that's staying nicely.   Both live with the North Korean missile threat and when North Korea had fuel for there aircraft and when they even had flyable aircraft that threat as well.  I think navy wise ships could have been built between the two both have a strong ship building industry.