Browbeating and Lies Lead the Way in Fighter Project

The government has been caught lying again about the Korean Fighter Experimental Project (KF-X). If the project continues to be this unreliable, it will surely worsen the situation. It would be better to just reconsider the whole plan at this point.

The latest uncovered lie was about — you guessed it — the technology transfer from the U.S. The [South Korean] Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the executing office for the whole program, has been publicly announcing that 21 key technologies are being transferred without hindrance, and that authorization from the U.S. government will come by mid-November. Sources, however, support a different story. In fact, the U.S. government is not very keen on the technology transfer, and any decisions that are made will not happen until next year. Adding to the previously denied four key technologies, this obstacle will make sure the program reaches a standstill. It is amazing how [DAPA] just pushed the project forward without any solid ground to stand on.

DAPA says they are planning to send a team of negotiators to the U.S. to smooth out the deal regarding the technology transfer, but the U.S. seems adamant about its position. There is even an analysis that says the U.S. does not want Korea to develop its own jet fighters. If that were true, fault would be with the Americans, since they are toying with their ally’s security in favor of selling their own weapons.

The matter of technology transfers began with the Fighter Experimental Program (F-X) many years ago. We should not have made the decision to purchase Lockheed Martin’s F35-A for 8 trillion won ($6.8 billion) if we cannot get the technology properly. In fact, the process by which the F35-A won the competition against the other fighters was not clear at all. Moreover, the debate over cost benefit analysis continues to rage even today. Recently, Canada canceled its plans to purchase F35-As, and there are many countries trying to lower the number of their planned purchases. If the Korean government’s priority is the development of our own fighter aircraft, they ought to reconsider their decisions to bring F35-As home as well.

The KF-X Project is the largest project in the history of our military, costing about 18 trillion won ($15.4 billion). The biggest problem we have now is that while browbeating and lies accompany this project, no one steps up to take responsibility.