The U.S. aerospace giant Boeing looks likely to win a W1.58 trillion contract to supply the nation's air force with four airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) planes by 2009. The bid in the epically delayed E-X project earlier looked set to make Korean defense procurement history when a non-U.S. bidder, IAI Elta of Israel, seemed likely to get the nod.
"After both the aircraft by Boeing and IAI Elta were found to meet the combat use requirements, four conditions had to be met,” a Defense Ministry official said. "IAI Elta was unable to meet some of them, so realistically it is likely to be excluded." If Elta, the sole other bidder, has been knocked out, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will sit down for more price negotiations with Boeing before making the final decision.
DAPA will convene a meeting on Thursday to select the equipment “that best meets the conditions of the military.”
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The 60 nanometer processing technology uses circuits the size of a hair sliced into 2,000 strands, the smallest circuits of any such product on the market. "The 60-nano technology is up to 25 percent more productive than the existing 70-nano, so we’ll be able to maintain our competitive price advantage,” a staffer with the world's no. 1 semiconductor maker said.
