By Kang Seung-woo
Boeing is trying to piggyback F-15 Silent Eagles on Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as part of a package for Korea's multi-billion-dollar next-generation fighter program.
But the problem is that it doesn't have a key element that caused it to be rejected at the last stage of the deal.
The F-15 fighter maker has had a former U.S. Air Force chief of staff speaking to reporters in Washington about the so-called split buy after it failed to get the final deal.
An industrial source told The Korea Times that Boeing wants to show they are in the game.
"The Washington gig is part of it," the source said.
The defense ministry indicated it is open to a split buy when it decided to reopen the bid for the deal through a task force.
The source confirmed that there is no deal with its rival Lockheed nor does it have any hint for acceptance by the Korean military.
The bigger problem is that it didn't have the backing of the U.S. Air Force for the F-15.
"The U.S. Air Force wants Korea to buy the F-35 for strategic reasons," an industry source said, pointing out that the fighter acquisition program is "not like buying a pair of pants from a department store."
"It's a political deal as much as it is a military deal," he said. The source confirmed that Boeing has not earned any backing from the U.S. Air Force.
Meanwhile, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Ron Fogleman, now working as a Boeing consultant, was quoted as saying, "Korea will need the F-15's combat capability as bridge approach until the development of the F-35 software is complete, as the Korean Air Force's old fleet of F-4s and F-5s are about to be retired soon.
"The F-35 doesn't have the combat capability today that the F-15 has," said Fogleman, who is also a chairman of the board of Alliant Techsystems, a supplier for the F-35.
His remarks come as Korea is reconsidering its next-generation fighter program after rejecting Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle as the F-X III contractor for 60 aircraft due to its lack of sufficient stealth capability.
Fogleman expects the F-35 will have the so-called Block 3F software that will give the aircraft its full operational capabilities by the early 2020s.
Last month, Pentagon acquisition chief, Frank Kendall, said work on the Block 3F was a particular concern since it was essential to achieving the desired combat capability of the F-35, and that it was running behind schedule, according to Reuters.
Boeing is now engaging in a promotion for a split buy, as Howard Berry, its F-X III campaign director also stressed last week that the best plan forward, which gives the Korean government and the Korean Air Force the best, is buying both F-15s and F-35s.
"The challenge the Korean government faces right now is they have a poor structure gap. They don't have many aircraft they need for the high-tier fighters, while they want the F-35. But the current status of the F-35 program is, we believe, not sufficiently mature yet to be introduced into service," he said.
Boeing is trying to piggyback F-15 Silent Eagles on Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as part of a package for Korea's multi-billion-dollar next-generation fighter program.
But the problem is that it doesn't have a key element that caused it to be rejected at the last stage of the deal.
The F-15 fighter maker has had a former U.S. Air Force chief of staff speaking to reporters in Washington about the so-called split buy after it failed to get the final deal.
An industrial source told The Korea Times that Boeing wants to show they are in the game.
"The Washington gig is part of it," the source said.
The defense ministry indicated it is open to a split buy when it decided to reopen the bid for the deal through a task force.
The source confirmed that there is no deal with its rival Lockheed nor does it have any hint for acceptance by the Korean military.
The bigger problem is that it didn't have the backing of the U.S. Air Force for the F-15.
"The U.S. Air Force wants Korea to buy the F-35 for strategic reasons," an industry source said, pointing out that the fighter acquisition program is "not like buying a pair of pants from a department store."
"It's a political deal as much as it is a military deal," he said. The source confirmed that Boeing has not earned any backing from the U.S. Air Force.
Meanwhile, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Ron Fogleman, now working as a Boeing consultant, was quoted as saying, "Korea will need the F-15's combat capability as bridge approach until the development of the F-35 software is complete, as the Korean Air Force's old fleet of F-4s and F-5s are about to be retired soon.
"The F-35 doesn't have the combat capability today that the F-15 has," said Fogleman, who is also a chairman of the board of Alliant Techsystems, a supplier for the F-35.
His remarks come as Korea is reconsidering its next-generation fighter program after rejecting Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle as the F-X III contractor for 60 aircraft due to its lack of sufficient stealth capability.
Fogleman expects the F-35 will have the so-called Block 3F software that will give the aircraft its full operational capabilities by the early 2020s.
Last month, Pentagon acquisition chief, Frank Kendall, said work on the Block 3F was a particular concern since it was essential to achieving the desired combat capability of the F-35, and that it was running behind schedule, according to Reuters.
Boeing is now engaging in a promotion for a split buy, as Howard Berry, its F-X III campaign director also stressed last week that the best plan forward, which gives the Korean government and the Korean Air Force the best, is buying both F-15s and F-35s.
"The challenge the Korean government faces right now is they have a poor structure gap. They don't have many aircraft they need for the high-tier fighters, while they want the F-35. But the current status of the F-35 program is, we believe, not sufficiently mature yet to be introduced into service," he said.
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