Operational requirements could be tested on simulators in fighter jet purchase: sources

Evaluation of key operational requirements to select a supplier for Korea's next-generation combat fighter could be done on simulators, sources said Wednesday, after a foreign bidder recently balked at proposed actual flight testing.

According to sources, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the state arms procurement body, had planned to carry out flight tests on some 260 categories of operational requirements for the fighter project. Boeing's F-15 SE, Lockheed's F-35A and EADS Eurofighter are competing to win a mega deal worth upward of 8.3 trillion won (US$7.2 billion) to sell 60 combat fighters to South Korea, which is expected to choose a supplier later this year.

Sources said Lockheed Martin recently refused to undergo flight tests, on the grounds that F-35A is still under development and only American pilots can fly the aircraft. Boeing and EADS have accepted the flight test proposal.

The planned on-site performance tests would have lasted a week, testing whether the given jet can operate under different conditions. The DAPA had sought flight tests involving Korean Air Force pilots because simulators would not provide a full picture on fighter jets' capabilities.

According to sources, the DAPA is considering switching its plan and allowing simulator tests for operational requirements. Earlier this month, the DAPA already said some technical requirements will be tested on simulators since key parts of aircraft from all three bidders are still being developed.

The DAPA has already come under fire for pushing back the deadline for bids from June 19 to July 5, citing errors in relevant documents from Lockheed Martin and EADS. Further change to evaluation procedures will likely draw more criticism of inadequate handling of the bidding process.

"The DAPA had to reopen the bid because of errors in paperwork, and it's about to ignore the very standards that it set at the beginning," an industry source said. "That hurts fair competition."

South Korea has purchased 60 of Boeing's F-15 fighter jets since 2002 under the first two stages of the fighter modernization program, code-named "F-X." (Yonhap)