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A much-delayed project to acquire four airborne early warning systems will be re-launched after faltering for lack of qualified bidders, the Defense Ministry announced Monday. It hopes international bidders besides the two original candidates Boeing of the U.S. and IAI Elta of Israel will put forward their proposals.
The ministry said Monday it will launch the so-called E-X project, with the specific models to be decided around December this year. The government had planned to acquire four airborne early warning systems by 2012 with a budget of W2 trillion (US1.9 billion). However, the project was delayed several times before getting under way last year, only to stall again when IAI Elta was disqualified from a field of only two bidders.
Maj. Gen. Won Jang-hwan, director for acquisition at the ministry, said a list of companies qualifying for a fresh bid would be published in March. The plan is still to purchase four airborne early warning systems, but ministry specifications for operational capability will be reexamined, Won said.
(Jang Il-hyun, ihjang@chosun.com )
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