Performance, cost priority in copter projects

The government will give the largest weighting to price and performance in selecting the next generation attack and naval helicopters, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced Monday.

DAPA said that for the 1.84 trillion won ($1.6 billion) attack helicopter acquisition program, cost and performance will respectively be given 30 percent and 36.72 percent weighting according to the findings of analysis conducted by the Korea National Defense University. Interoperability will be given 24.49 percent weighting and the remaining 8.79 percent will be given to contract and miscellaneous conditions.

In judging the candidates for the Navy’s 550 billion won helicopter program, 30 percent and 35.24 percent weighting will be given respectively to cost and performance, while interoperability will account for 24.33 percent. The remaining 10.43 percent will be accounted for by contract and miscellaneous conditions.

“The reason the figures were announced with only 10 days to go until the deadline is simply because the analysis took more time, and the figures will not affect the potential bidders,” a DAPA official said. The deadline for submitting proposals are May 10 for both programs.

The heavy attack helicopter program will see the military purchasing 36 units. Six companies ― Boeing and Bell Helicopter of U.S., Turkey’s TAI, Eurocopter, Denel and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. ― attended the DAPA’s conference on the program in January.

Regarding the reports that half of the companies that had initially showed interest in the heavy attack helicopter program opted not to participate further, the DAPA official said that nothing has been confirmed. Reports came out last week that only Boeing, Bell Helicopter and TAI were still hoping to win the contract.

Four companies ― Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Lockheed Martin, Agusta Westland and Kaman ― are said to be hoping to win the contract to provide eight Navy helicopters.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)