ISLAMABAD – South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)has announced that Seoul will purchase 20 additional F-35 fighter jets fromthe US as part of the second phase of its F-X III procurement program,making for a planned fleet of 60 aircraft.
DAPA revealed the Republic of Korea Air Force will obtain 20 additionalF-35s in the coming years.
“The government is preparing to launch the second phase of the F-X III in2021 for the five years to come,” the acquisition administration told theNational Assembly in a statement on Monday. The government previouslypurchased 40 F-35As from US-based defense contractor Lockheed Martin aspart of a $6.4 billion contract in 2014 and received its first shipmentback in March.
According to Defense Newslink,$3.3 billion from the F-X III fighter jet program is expected to go towardpurchasing more of the fifth-generation stealth fighters.
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While it’s unclear which variant of the F-35 aircraft Seoul intends topurchase, an anonymous source from the country’s Ministry of NationalDefense informed the outlet earlier this week that the Korea Institute forDefense Analyses concluded a study which revealed “the introduction of moreF-35As” would be a “more feasible” acquisition for the air force.
