KAI fails to export Surion to Philippines

By Lee Min-hyung

Surion helicopter

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has failed to win a bid to export its Surion helicopters to the Philippines, the nation's defense procurement agency said Sunday.

“Later last month, the Philippines government notified the South Korean embassy in the Philippines that it decided to import the U.S.' UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters,” an official from Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Agency (DAPA) said.

The Philippines made the notification sometime between Dec. 27 and 28, the official said.

Sikorsky, the U.S.-based helicopter manufacturer, won the bid worth 250 billion won ($222.4 million) apparently due to its low-price bidding strategy, the DAPA official said.

According to reports, the U.S. company offered to provide 16 Black Hawk helicopters at the same price for 10 Surion choppers.

“A number of factors may have been considered, but KAI is likely to have failed to win the contract for the weak price competitiveness.”