It is understood that the US manufacturer Boeing recently offered the South Korean air force a single example of its F-15 military combat jet. The gift, according to a source within the military, would seem to act as a replacement for a South Korean F-15 which crashed in 2006. In the incident, the aircraft came down off the coast of Pohang, with the resultant loss of life of both pilots.

South Korea Could Buy Raptor or Joint Strike Fighter

Boeing’s proposal broadly coincided with the announcement by South Korea that it intended to acquire around 60 new fighters by 2019. Possible contenders could be the US-built F-22 Raptor, or the F-35 Lightning II/ Joint Strike Fighter.

It also came as the USAF imposed a fleet-wide grounding on its own F-15s – a measure that has since been updated to cover a number of the F-15C pure fighter variants.

The spokesperson detailed how: “A senior Boeing official proposed to provide South Korea with an additional F-15 fighter jet as we were engaging in negotiations for the purchase of 20 more F-15 fighters.”

39 Strike Eagles to Serve with South Korean Air Force

To date, the Republic of Korea Air Force - to give it its proper title - has acquired 30 examples of the F-15E Strike Eagle. By the end of the year, it is scheduled to have bought nine more, while negotiations are presently ongoing for the acquisition of 20 further F-15Es.

"Boeing might have made the proposal to express their thanks to the South Korean government for its decision to purchase 20 more F-15 fighters," the source suggested, adding: "The South Korean government may make a decision on the proposal late this month when the negotiations for the purchase of engines are to be concluded."

Ten days ago, the USAF Air Combat Command's head, General John D.W Corley, commented that the structural issues connected to the USAF F-15 groundings constituted a “crisis”.

Source – Armed Forces International’s Aviation Expert

Recent related News Items:

USAF Keeps 162 F-15s Grounded on Safety Issues

USAF F-15 Safety Checks Revealed Cracks

USAF F-15s Grounded Again

USAF F-15 Combat Jet Grounding Lifted

Missouri Crash Grounds USAF F-15 Jets