SEOUL, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- South Korea plans to buy 20 advanced fighter aircraft as part of a $2.5 billion acquisition project.
Purchases of the aircraft would begin next year through an open-tender process, The Korea Herald reported Wednesday.
"We plan to complete the evaluation of target aircraft and negotiations with candidate bidders by this year, aiming to sign a sales contract by February next year," said Maj. Gen. Kim Deuk-hwan, head of aircraft projects at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said. "The selection of a target aircraft model will be made early next year."
Purchased aircraft would begin entering service between 2010 and 2011.
The South Korean air force is currently in the process of adding 40 U.S.-made F-15K jets to its fleet of warplanes under an earlier acquisition plan.
Aircraft being looked at include France's Rafale, Russia's Su-35 and the European Typhoon, the report said.
