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A much-delayed project by the South Korean military to buy an airborne early warning system for around W2 trillion (US$2 billion) by 2012 has once again been narrowed down to two bidders, Boeing of the U.S. and IAI Elta of Israel. The final decision which bidder will supply the so-called E-X system should now be made by the end of the year.
Out of the three original manufactures who bid for the E-X project, SVC of the U.S. was excluded, leaving Boeing and Elta to proceed with tests and negotiations, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
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Elta (left), Boeing
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The ministry said it had fresh proposals from the three manufacturers by the middle of this month and checked their airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS) for compliance with the technical requirements, flexibility in negotiations and contractual terms.
Ministry sources said Boeing offered a slightly lower price than last year while ELTA raised its price a little, but the price difference between the two bids remains significant. ¡°While ELTA has a competitive edge in terms of price, Boeing is known to outdo ELTA in capabilities,¡± an Air Force insider said. ¡°So it seems the final decision will hinge on whether the ELTA equipment meets our requirements and passes our capability tests.¡±
The bidding was reopened after Boeing remained as the sole bidder in the last round following the disqualification of all others.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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