Korea's fighter jet program under probe

A model of the KF-X fighter jet

DAPA ordered to submit data on KF-X

By Jun Ji-hye

Cheong Wa Dae has started an investigation into the country’s 8.5 trillion won KF-X project to develop indigenous fighter jets, officials said Friday.

The rare probe comes amid growing concern that the program will not go forward as scheduled due to the weapons procurement agency’s failure to receive four core technologies on F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.

A military official told reporters that the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs asked the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to submit data related to the KF-X project.

“The request was made Friday morning,” said the official. “Relevant departments at DAPA are preparing data to be submitted to the presidential office.”

The KF-X project calls for developing fighter jets similar to F-16s to replace an aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s by 2025. The nation was planning to build some 120 jets after receiving technologies related to the F-35 stealth fighter from U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin.

But the project recently faced difficulties after the U.S. government refused in April to allow the company to transfer four core technologies — the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, infrared search and track (IRST), electronic optics targeting pod (EOTGP) and RF jammer.

Controversy emerged as DAPA had said that Korea would receive a total of 25 technologies, including those four, under the offset program when it signed a 7.3 trillion won contract in September of last year to purchase 40 F-35s.

Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said the office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs is working to confirm the validity of the controversy and facts involving the KF-X project.

Min said the office has not summoned anybody responsible for the project.

Some media reported that the office of the prime minister is also looking into the controversial project, which the office later denied.

The presidential office is reportedly investigating whether DAPA paid sufficient attention to the F-35 deal, which included the offset program at the time of negotiations and the signing of the contract, and whether there was any corruption.

If anything illegal is discovered, the project and people involved could be subject to investigation by the prosecution. In that case, the program could face an even bigger setback.

DAPA explained that it will push for cooperation with other foreign firms in developing AESA radar and IRST technologies, and will autonomously develop EOTGPs and RF jammers. But it acknowledged that this will delay the KF-X program.

Defense watchers say this could cause an increase in production costs as well.

Criticism against the state-run procurement agency has intensified since it was reported that the agency was already aware at the time of signing the F-35 deal with the U.S. firm that the transfer of the four technologies was unlikely.

Rep. Kim Sung-chan of the ruling Saenuri Party who belongs to the National Assembly Defense Committee said, “The KF-X project should go back to square one and be reviewed again.”

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