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| A model of the future KFX Fighter (File Photo) |
By JUNG SUNG-KI
SEOUL — South Korea will ask Lockheed Martin to invest in the country’s KF-X fighter jet development project as part of offset deals over its selection of the F-35 joint strike fighter.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) made a final decision March 24 to buy 40 F-35As through the US Foreign Military Sales program.
A final contract on the deal will be signed by September, according to the arms agency, with the first delivery in 2018. The deal is expected to be worth around 7.4 trillion won ($6.8 billion).
Seoul redrew the terms of a $7.8 billion tender to buy 60 fighters last year after dropping an option to buy Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle in favor of purchasing a fighter with stealth capabilities. Seoul subsequently reduced the purchase to an initial 40 planes.
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