The Czech Republic must make a quick decision to modernize its fighter jets post 2027, will it acquire the F-35 Lightning II or choose the Gripen E/F? If the Czechs choose the F-35, then this country in Eastern Europe has to compete hard in the midst of antiran F-35 production.
In addition to Lockheed Martin working on orders for F-35s from Western European countries (NATO), the Czech Republic has to compete with South Korea for the F-35 production schedule.
Quoted from Janes.com (29/6/2022), it was stated that the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea acknowledged the induction of all orders for 40 F-35A fighter jets for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF), on March 28, 2022.
Well, apparently there is a desire from Seoul to place an additional order for the F-35. Although there is no official information, the South Korean Air Force is reportedly expecting an additional 20 more F-35s. For this purpose, a procurement proposal has been submitted.
To be precise, the South Korean Government Defense Subcommittee has supported the proposal to purchase additional Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II units. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) confirmed the proposal. DAPA said the proposal was ongoing and did not provide additional details at the time of publication.
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| F-35A Lightning II |
South Korean media reported on June 29 that the project had been approved on June 9 by the Defense Project Promotion Subcommittee. This second F-35A project is estimated to cost KRW3.9 trillion (US$3 billion). This potential acquisition of the aircraft is in line with Seoul's earlier announcement of its interest in acquiring an additional 20 F-35s.
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Flashback to January 2022, the South Korean F-35A fleet was temporarily grounded, namely when the belly landing incident on one of the F-35As occurred on January 4, 2022. The belly landing incident occurred due to a bird strike. The South Korean Air Force at least has found the presence of small bird splinters in the engine part of the F-35A.
It is very likely that a bird strike will cause engine problems that require the pilot to make an emergency landing. Moreover, the F-35 is single-engine, so there is no option for an emergency landing at the first opportunity.
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