2 Stage Evaluations for Selection of Next Generation Fighters

The final evaluation standard for the air fighter selection of FX Projects, which is to introduce 40 high quality air fighters by investing 420 billion won, has been decided.

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) released 4 evaluation standards for the selection of FX air fighters including the relative cost compared to life expansion, operation capability, adaptability for military operation, the transference of the technical know-how at the first stage of the evaluation and `political consideration` at the second stage of the evaluation.

Choi Dong-Jin, director of the Acquisition Bureau of MOD, explained that "MOD decided to evaluate the types of air fighters in 2 stages to induce the price competition by the competing companies and to reflect our security situation appropriately."

MOD will begin its price negotiation on the 14th with the participating companies and will make the final decision within the first half of this year.

1st Evaluation Stage: the individual weighted means for the evaluation elements are the relative cost compared to life expansion (35.33 percent), the operation capability (34.55 percent), adaptability for military operation (18.13 percent), and the transference of the technical know-how (11.99 percent). Consequently, air fighters that cost less for operation and have high quality air-to-air or air-to-ground operations will be better evaluated in the first stage.

Does F15K Have Advantages: experts say that, since all 4 competing fighters satisfy the Required Operation Capability (ROC) of the Korean Military, `distinctively better` type of air fighters may not be decided in the first evaluation. Therefore F15K of Boeing will take the vantage place for `political considerations` in the second stage of evaluation. Criticisms are already rising inside and outside the Military that the evaluation standard is in fact for the selection of F15K.

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com