After a protracted evaluation process, on March 24 the Republic of Korea formally selected the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, becoming the third Foreign Military Sales (FMS) country to procure the Joint Strike Fighter, after Israel and Japan. Seoul will acquire a total of 40 F-35A conventional take-off and landing variants under Phase III of its F-X fighter competition, with the potential to increase this order by 20 aircraft in future. F-X Phase III had previously pitted the Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle, EADS Eurofighter Typhoon and Lightning II against each other for a planned $7.2-billion, 60-aircraft requirement. The F-15SE was originally declared the winner on cost grounds, before the Boeing product was rejected last September amid concerns relating to its survivability. Last November, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok said the F-35 was the 'only aircraft that fits [the] requirements' set by the military. Deliveries of the Block 3 F-35 to the Republic of Korea Air Force are expected from 2018 to 2021, dependent on a contract signature later this year. A decision to purchase the 20 remaining aircraft will then be based upon factors including operational requirements, the security situation, funding, and technological developments. These remaining aircraft could be purchased by 2023-24. The company will provide the RoKAF Lightning lis with Block 3F software that is expected to become operational in 2017. Currently, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Korean finance ministry are working out the total budget available.
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