Korea Aerospace Industries agrees KFX investment deal with Indonesia
Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Industry
22 November 2015
A model of KAI's KFX concept at ADEX 2015 in Seoul. Source: IHS/Gareth Jennings
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the Indonesian government signed an agreement on 22 November to formalise proposed investment and workshare arrangements to support the development of the Korean Fighter Experimental (KFX) 4.5-generation fighter aircraft.
The agreement is framed by an accord signed by the governments of South Korea and Indonesia in October 2014 under which South Korea will pay 80% of the costs associated with the joint engineering and development phase of the KFX, with Indonesia paying the remaining 20%.
The newly signed deal, which in essence reaffirms Indonesia's investment in the project, will become operational once KAI formally secures the contract with South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to complete the development of KFX aircraft. KAI was named preferred developer of the KFX in March, and a contract to undertake the work is expected to be signed before the end of the year.
Under the terms of the newly announced agreement, Indonesia has agreed to invest about KRW1.7 trillion (USD1.5 billion) of the total KRW8.7 trillion in KFX development costs.
KAI said that in return for its investment, Indonesia's state-owned aerospace manufacturer, PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), will participate in the design phase of the aircraft and produce unidentified components. PTDI will also secure rights to some areas of intellectual property involved in developing the KFX and have access to one of six planned prototypes.
KAI plans to commence manufacturing the KFX from 2025. Company officials have previously suggested that about 250 KFX fighter aircraft could replace the Republic of Korea Air Force's ageing F-4E Phantom and F-5E Tiger II aircraft and, ultimately, its F-16 Fighting Falcon platforms. KAI also expects to export several hundred KFX fighters to countries that include Indonesia.
The KFX is envisaged as a single-seat, twin-engine, multirole aircraft equipped with stealth features, active electronically scanned array radar, and internal weapons carriage.
http://www.janes.com/article/56161/kore ... -indonesia
Mídia: Seul pode recusar os americanos F-35
30.11.2015,
http://www.aviaport.ru/digest/2015/11/30/371687.html
Updated : 2015-12-02 14:03
US to provide maximum support for S. Korea's KF-X project: State Department
The United States will provide maximum support for South Korea's indigenous fighter jet development project, the State Department said Tuesday, dismissing speculation that Washington might be reluctant to back the program.
The State Department is responsible for approving U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin's promised transfer of key technologies to South Korea for the fighter program, known as the "KF-X" project. Speculation about U.S. reluctance arose after reports that the department was negative about approving the transfer of some technologies.
"The United States continues to support the Republic of Korea's defense programs and priorities through the transfer of many of our most sensitive defense technologies. We seek to support the KF-X indigenous fighter program to the maximum extent possible," Katina Adams, a State Department spokeswoman, said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency.
"The U.S. government is in discussions with Lockheed Martin to address ROK areas of concern. We will continue to work closely with Lockheed Martin throughout this process to ensure continued support to the KF-X program," she said.
South Korea agreed with Lockheed Martin last year to receive 25 combat jet technologies and the two parties have been negotiating the terms of transferring 21 of the technologies after the U.S. government decided earlier this year not to transfer the other four sensitive technologies.
Recent media reports said that the U.S. decided to disallow the transfer of three more technologies. But the department spokeswoman said no final decision has been made.
"Programs like the KF-X are large and complex. As a result, there is often an iterative process whereby export licenses are amended as the program matures and becomes better defined," the spokeswoman said.
A team of experts from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, South Korea's state arms procurement agency, has arrived in the U.S. for talks with Lockheed Martin on the technology transfer, according to an informed source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"I understand that the basic position of the U.S. is that it will resolve the issue in a positive manner, taking into account technological aspects, as well as the South Korea-U.S. alliance," the source said.
The talks are expected to run through the weekend as the two sides negotiate the details of each of the technologies under discussion. (Yonhap)
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/n ... 92246.html
Co-development of Jet Engine
Hanwha Techwin, GE Team Up to Develop KF-X Engine Parts
Hanwha Techwin CEO Shin Hyun-woo (right) shakes hands with Jean Lydon-Rodgers, general manager of GE Aviation's military systems, after signing the partnership for the KF-X at the Farnborough International Airshow held in the U.K. on July 12 (local time).
SEOUL, KOREA
14 July 2016 -
Hanwha Techwin, a defense unit of Hanwha Group, has teamed up with U.S.-based GE Aviation, one of the world’s top three aircraft engine suppliers, to jointly develop engine parts for Korea’s flight-jet development project KF-X.
The company announced on July 13 that it has signed the partnership deal with GE at the Farnborough International Airshow held in the U.K. on the 12th (local time). The aircraft engine production industry has high barriers to entry. Currently, GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce are considered the world’s top three aircraft engine producers.
Hanwha Techwin said, “With the latest deal, we are now able to lead the integration and installation of the engines into the KF-X jets and domestically assemble and produce the engines and major parts. Based on these, we can also support flight test smoothly during the system development period.”
GE suggested “F414-GE-400” as the engine for the KF-X jets and was selected as the preferred bidder for the project in May. The engine has with 21,500 pounds of thrust and the KF-X is a twin-engine jet. Hanwha Techwin will receive the engine, which is designed and manufactured by GE, and assemble it. It will also produce and supply major parts and localize the technology to install and operate the engine into fighter jets.
The KF-X project is the largest defense project in South Korean history to develop Korean fighter jets replacing its aged fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters. It is expected to be completed by 2026. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) manages the project and Hanwha Techwin is in charge of developing the engines. The size of the KF-X engine business will be worth more than 4 trillion won (US$3.49 billion) – 300 billion won (US$261.67 million) for the system development, 1.8 trillion won (US$1.57 billion) for shipments of mass production and 2 trillion won (US$1.74 billion) for exports and follow-up support projects.
Hanwha Techwin is a major engine supplier of various Korean fighter jets and helicopters. With the technical partnership with GE in 1980, the company began production of the engines for the F-5 jets and was selected as the final assembly company for the KF-16 jets in 1986.
http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/english/ ... gine-parts
Updated : 2016-07-27 21:16
Korea, US meet on fighter jet project
By Jun Ji-hye
Korea and the United States held their first high-level talks in Washington, Tuesday, on the transfer of jet technologies for Seoul's project to develop its own fighter jets.
The Ministry of National Defense said the two sides discussed the vital intersection of foreign and national security policies on defense technology cooperation, including issues related to the transfer of technologies for the KF-X project.
It was the first high-level meeting of the Defense Technology Strategy & Cooperation Group (DTSCG), which followed the group's working-level talks held in March. The DTSCG was established last year based on an agreement between defense chiefs of the two nations.
During Tuesday's meeting, the Korea delegation, led by Vice Defense Minister Hwang In-mo and Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Lee Tae-ho, stressed the need for the transfer of key technologies from the United States for the success of the KF-X project, according to a ministry official.
In response, the U.S. delegation, led by David Shear, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, and Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said the two sides will continue to discuss the issue, the official said.
The official added that details about which technologies will be transferred were not determined during the meeting.
The joint press release of the two sides also said, "The U.S. delegation provided an overview of its conventional arms transfer and regional defense trade policies."
The release added that the two sides concurred on the need for regular information-sharing on relevant issues and decided to continue to utilize the DTSCG to advance policy and strategic discussions on technology security, foreign policy and defense technology cooperation in support of the ROK-U.S. alliance.
The 8.5 trillion won KF-X project is to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s. The government will invest an additional 10 trillion won to produce 120 jets by 2032.
The project is proceeding with the help of the U.S. defense company, Lockheed Martin, which vowed to transfer technologies used in the F-35 stealth fighter in return for Korea's purchase of 40 F-35s, signed in September of 2014.
In early December, the U.S. government approved the transfer of 21 technologies in a "large frame," according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
Since then, negotiations between DAPA and Lockheed Martin officials have been ongoing to list the details, as hundreds of technical items are part of 21 technologies.
Before its official kickoff in January, the KF-X project had suffered a severe crisis after the U.S. government refused in April of last year to allow the defense firm to hand over four core technologies — the active electronically scanned array radar, electronic optics targeting pod, the infrared search and radio frequency jammer and the infrared search and tracking system.
The DAPA said the nation will domestically develop those four technologies.
During the meeting, the Korea delegation also asked the United States to give it technologies related to the development of the medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (MUAV), the official said. Washington said that was being considered added.
The two sides plan to hold the next DTSCG high-level talks in 2017, according to officials.
On the sidelines of the defense talks, Hwang met Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work to discuss views on extended efforts between the two allies to cope with ever-growing nuclear and military threats from North Korea, according to the ministry.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/na ... 10456.html
Ele não será furtivo.Bolovo escreveu:E o armamento interno? Ser stealth e carregar esse monte de bombas nas asas me parece um contrassenso.
