FX Programme

Hi gang
I found this:
The efforts of the South Korean Defence Ministry to overhaul the country’s fighter capabilities have hit more heavy weather as members from all political sides questioned the fairness of the process in Parliament. Throughout the troubled acquisition programme the suspicion has remained that political pressure has been exerted to ensure that Boeing’s F-15K be selected over rival bids from Dassault, Eurofighter, and Sukhoi. These fears have resurfaced amid revelations over leaks to the press and a controversial alteration in the system being used to evaluate the merits of the respective bids.

The 4.2 trillion won (3.2 billion-dollar) project to buy 40 fighters, was delayed in February as none of the four bidders could match the strict financial restrictions the government had imposed on the project. The defence ministry decided to proceed with the programme and a winner was due to be announced in March or April after a further period of evaluation.

Doubts grew last month when Defense Minister Kim Dong-Shin stressed that South Korea should consider security ties with the United States in the project, although he insisted that no pressure had been brought to bear by the US itself. If Boeing does not secure the contract it would likely spell the end of production for the ageing F-15.

“The fairness of the evaluation methods is doubtful,” Kang Chang-Sung of the opposition Grand National Party said. “We suspect the defence ministry has political considerations to select the F-15K.”

This suspicion has intensified since reports in the Korean press have revealed that the Air Force’s evaluation of the merits of the four competing planes indicated that Dassault’s Rafale was the superior aircraft, rated as “excellent” in all of the required areas. The defence ministry has promised to investigate the leaks but even members of the ruling Millenium Democratic Party are now questioning the process.

Further questions have been raised by the ministry’s decision to alter the scoring system. The ministry revised its evaluation in February to ensure that all four bidders received automatic 60 points, out of a possible 100, for technology transfer. The ministry insisted that this was fair as all the competitors had fulfilled the original requirements laid out by the acquisition process. However, critics claim that the change has been made to assist Boeing’s claim as the US company should have gained fewer points than Dassault in terms of technology transfer and subcontracts.

One way or another the decision must be made in the next month or so, but if Boeing wins the contract it is doubtful that the controversy will recede.