South Korea will introduce two US-made fighter jets in 2005 as the first step of its multi-billion-dollar flight procurement project, according to the South Korean Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday.

Two F-15Ks will be procured from Boeing Co. late next year under a 4.6 billion US dollars project, code-named F-X, Yonhap quoted a South Korean Air Force officer as reporting.

Under the plan, South Korea will purchase 38 additional F-15Ks by 2008.

F-15k is the world's best long-range, multi-role fighter, with advanced radar and avionics, and technologies such as a helmet-mounted cueing system in its cockpit. It's equally adept at air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strikes, in virtually any weather, during the day or at night.

In a separate procurement project, South Korea will introduce two T-50 trainer planes by the end of next year in partnership with Lockheed Martin Co., the unnamed officer said.

South Korea is to produce 94 T-50s by 2011, the officer added.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Air Force is to introduce four airborne early warning systems by 2011. Boeing Co. and Israel's IAI ELTA are competing for the 1.7 billion dollars project, according to the officer.

South Korea also has a plan to buy 48 Patriot missiles by 2012.

The South Korean Defense Ministry in November announced it will spend some 92 billion dollars to buildup its own defense capability before 2008 on occasion of the reduction of United States Forces Korea (USFK).

Seoul and Washington in October agreed to cut 12,500 of the total 37,500 USFK by 2008.

Source: Xinhua