SEOUL — South Korea plans to finalize the purchase of 40 next-generation F-35 jet fighters from US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin later this year, Seoul’s military procurement agency said.
“We will ... push to sign the contract in the third quarter ... after testing and further negotiations,” Jung Kwang-Sun, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s aircraft department director, told reporters in a briefing late Monday.
The South’s air force has been looking to upgrade its aging fleet of Boeing F-4 and F-5 fighters in light of North Korea’s growing nuclear threat.
Jung did not specifically name the F-35s, but they are the only jet fighters on offer that meet the requirement — laid down by the South Korean joint chiefs of staff last month — for a stealth-capable fighter.
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