Seoul has been forced to relaunch its process for awarding a developmental contract related to the KFX fighter programme, after Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) was the only company to submit a bid for the requirement on 9 February. Under South Korea's procurement laws, the sole-bidder situation has forced a retendering of the programme, says a report by state news agency Yonhap. The country's Defense Acquisition Program Administration on 10 February posted a new tender for the 8.5 trillion won ($8.3 billion) programme, which is to run from 2015 to 2025, seeking responses within two weeks. The future KFX is envisaged as being a twin-engined fighter that will be more advanced than Lockheed Martin's F-16, but not up to the standard of types such as the manufacturer's F-35 Lightning Ⅱ. It will replace aged types in the Republic of Korea Air Force's inventory, namely the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom and Northrop F-5, with an expected 120-unit buy. KAI would like to partner with Lockheed on the project, in which the Indonesian government also has a 20% share. Jakarta plans to buy 80 of the type.
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