Dozens of SKorean jets grounded over safety concerns

MILTECH

File image of a standard F-16.

by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) Oct 24, 2007
South Korea's air defences against North Korea are being weakened because dozens of fighter jets were grounded this year due to maintenance and safety concerns, a legislator said Wednesday.

"Although the air force had to maintain a higher level of combat-readiness since North Korea's (October 2006) nuclear test, it keeps half of its main fighter jets in warehouses," said Maeng Hyung-Gyu of the opposition Grand National Party.

"There should not be loopholes in defending the country's airspace due to maintenance problems," Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying.

In a report to Maeng for an ongoing parliamentary audit, the air force said only 60 percent of about 130 KF-16 jets were engaged in normal operations during the first eight months of this year.

Dozens of KF-16s were grounded to check for possible engine problems after one of them crashed in February due to poor maintenance.

As for advanced F-15K jets, only 70 percent of them were in service, according to Maeng.

Each KF-16, a local variant of the F-16, costs around 40 billion won (43 million dollars).

US engine maker Pratt and Whitney, which supplied the KF-16's engines, advised the air force to replace a defective part but mechanics ignored it, an air force internal probe concluded.

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Egypt Orders E-2C Airborne Early Warning Command and Control Aircraft

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 24, 2007
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Egypt of E-2C Airborne Early Warning Command and Control Aircraft as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $75 million.

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