South Korea Nears F-X Phase 3 DecisionIf there is one misconception about South Korea's F-X Phase 3 fighter competition, due to be decided this month, it is that the requirement is aimed mainly at bolstering defense against North Korea. On the contrary, say senior government officials in Seoul, at least as strong a reason for buying 60 advanced fighters is South Korea's perceived strategic competition with Japan, China and Russia—probably in that order.
“Our neighbors are upgrading their fighter technology, so we must do so, too,” says one government official. A second official, with deep insight into the country's defense requirements, goes further: The 60 Boeing F-15Ks that South Korea has from the F-X Phase 1 and 2 programs last decade already offer enough aerial strike power for dealing with North Korea. While more big fighters would be useful if war on the peninsula broke out, the real point of the Phase 3 competition is that Japan is buying Lockheed Martin F-35As, China is developing the J-20, and Russia is working on the Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA), says that official. Even in F-X Phases 1 and 2, North Korea was considered only part of the problem, he adds.
That is why South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Agency is giving equal importance to air-to-air and strike missions in F-X Phase 3, even though defeating North Korea's modest fighter force would hardly be a challenge. Slightly contradicting that, an F-X Phase 3 program official told Aviation Week two years ago that excellent strike capability was valued above excellent air-to-air capability. Still, the difference in weight given to the two capabilities is evidently not great.
It is not known whether North Korean bellicosity this year has changed F-X Phase 3 priorities, but Pyongyang's aggression has probably helped the two U.S. contenders—the F-35A and F-15SE—in competing against the Eurofighter Typhoon. The argument is simply that the U.S. contributes greatly to the defense of South Korea, which should partly repay the favor by giving its largest defense import contracts to U.S. suppliers, especially when, as in this case, it has at least two to chose from.
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