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By Lee Tae-hoon
Boeing is mulling changing its plan to propose the F-15 Silent Eagle (F-15SE), a semi-stealth version of the F-15 Strike Eagle, to Korea as pricing emerges as a key factor in determining the winner of the country’s largest arms procurement deal ever.
“Whether you want to add additional elements or remove elements, we will have that flexibility on our proposal to the customer,” Howard Berry, Boeing’s campaign manager for Seoul’s latest jet acquisition project, said in a recent interview.
“We recognize how critical affordability will be. It will be very difficult to win this competition if you are not putting the most affordable solution on the table.”
Boeing is competing with its U.S. rival Lockheed Martin and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) for the FX-III project, under which Korea plans to buy 60 high-end fighters with a budget of 8.29 trillion won ($7.3 billion).
Some experts point out that the cost of Boeing’s F-15SE will likely surpass that of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and EADS’s Typhoon as Korea is the only country to shoulder the financial burden on its development.
The change of heart comes as Korea has officially backed away from its original plan to purchase 60 fifth-generation stealth fighters with an internal weapons bay and a very low radar cross section.
Seoul eliminated requirements for a conformal weapons bay (CWB), which allows aircraft to carry weapons internally for stealth missions, and a specific radar cross section (RCS) value previously set by the Air Force. RCS is a measure of how stealthy an object is.
Previously, Boeing had no option, but to offer the F-15SE to enter the FX-III race, but now it has an option to offer its existing F-15 model with some improvements, such as an advanced cockpit and dual helmet-mounted displays.
Jeff Kohler, Boeing Military Aircraft vice-president for international business development, said in Singapore Monday that his company is weighing the option of proposing the F-15SA, a variant for a recent Saudi Arabian order, to Korea, according to Aviation Week.
The F-15SA, however, does not incorporate core technologies envisioned for the F-15SE, which includes a CWB, special stealth coatings and twin canted tails, which help reduce the aircraft’s radar signature and increase aerodynamic efficiency.
Nevertheless, the two senior Boeing officials stressed that the F-15SE remains an option for Korea.
“We have never wavered from our intention to offer the F-15 Silent Eagle,” Berry said.
“There have been limited developments, but I’m pleased to tell you that we are moving forward with development activities (for the F-15SE).”
Berry, however, could not give exact details about the development in figures.
“We don’t expect a physical fly off during (the testing and evaluations later this year),” he said.
“We expect the Defense Acquisition Program Administration is so efficient in doing very thorough analytical evaluations and that their analysts will look at simulation and data.”
He claimed that in the end the F-15SE can be what the customer wants it to be and the name right now is a convenient way of labeling this compilation of elements improving the aircraft stealth features.
“If you take elements away other than these signature reduction things, such as coatings, I personally would be comfortable calling it Silent Eagle,” he said.
He argued that the F-15SE is a compilation of elements, enhancements on a proven airframe that is the F-15, which is based upon a design that dates back to 1968.
He said if Korea no longer shows interests in stealth features and internal carriage, his company is willing to give up offering them.
Seoul will receive proposals from the three bidders by June 18 and carry out testing and evaluations until September before selecting the winner in October.
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