The Korean-type fighter KF-X project is the biggest challenge of the Korean defense industry, developing its own 4.5-generation advanced fighter to replace the Air Force's old fighter F-4 and F-5. It is no exaggeration to say that success or failure depends on securing multi-function phased array AESA radar, infrared search tracking equipment IRST, electro-optical target tracking equipment EOTGP, and electromagnetic jammer RF jammer. Among them, AESA radar is the highest mountain.

Originally, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration sought to receive these four core technologies from the United States. To be precise, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration hoped to transfer the 4 core technologies for the KF-X in exchange for purchasing 40 F-35s from the United States. The United States had no intention of giving core technology, but the Defense Agency had lied about it for a long time.

When media reports revealed in September 2015 that the technology could not be transferred, the defense minister and the president even tried to break through the way to receive technology from the United States. The United States was a real estate, and since then, the Defense Acquisition Program has been looking for ways to independently develop four core technologies.

In May 2016, the Defense Science Research Institute selected Hanwha Systems as the infamous AESA radar system development provider with the highest level of difficulty among the four core technologies. The LIG Nex1, which has developed technical defense and AESA radar for more than 10 years, has fallen, and it has been controversial as most of the judges were disqualified. Nevertheless, I passed over.

Concealment has occurred at every turn. As soon as I was caught and pointed out at a late stage, the KF-X business was already destined to have been improved if I had been backed up by trusting the Defense Agency and the Defense Science Research Institute. Now it seems like a new hump has arrived.

The process of developing AESA radar by Hanwha Systems under the supervision of the Defense Science Research Institute is not visible. The organization called the Defense Science Research Institute, which denies self-inspection itself, raises suspicions.

● Despite the oversuggestion, MBS and

SBS recently received a document titled <Interim Report on Suspicion Audit Related to the Development Project of AESA Radar with KF-X> from the Defense Science Research Institute. This is the result of the AESA radar development process audited by the Defense Research Institute's AESA radar development process with the documents secured at the end of the hydrogen gate after hearing that there was a lot of noise while developing the AESA radar.

The 1st item of the Defense Science Research Center's audit report is 'suspect of easing standards'. It points to the problem of 2 over-proposed and 10 additional proposals.

When selecting a weapon system development business, the government agency issues a RFP for proposals, and companies submit business proposals accordingly. Government agencies select providers by evaluating their proposals. The techniques that companies often use to score high at this point are over-suggestions that inflate skills and performance, and additional suggestions that incorporate technologies not in the RFP.

Hanwha Systems has made two excess proposals and ten additional proposals. The two oversuggestions were overkill for the AESA radar's core performance, the maximum tracking distance and the maximum number of simultaneous target tracking. The Defense Science Research Center's only action was to reduce the project cost by 13 million won.

Radar development expert A said, “In the 2018 reconnaissance satellite business, LIG ​​Nex1 was deprived of the business right because it had one over-proposed offer.” "It's all done." The Defense Research Institute's Audit Office found that punitive measures such as reduction and offsetting of 5 out of 10 additional proposed technologies as well as 2 over proposed technologies were insufficient.

● The unprecedented 9th revision contract

audit report item 2 is 'suspicious of the company's preference according to the frequent revision contract'. The Defense Science Research Institute has made 9 revisions since July 2016, when it signed an AESA development project worth KRW 1687 billion with Hanwha Systems. As you develop a weapon system, you may think that you may face difficulties and that you may modify your contract. In addition, AESA is an unanswered challenge for the Korean defense industry.

However, it is extremely rare for a contract to be amended while developing a weapon system. The Defense Science Research Institute and the Defense Acquisition Program Office dislike the amendment contract because the auditor looked at it and thanked it. The company is also plagued by the auditor and is afraid of being inspected by an investigation request. So, unless there is a case where the operational capability ROC is strengthened, there is no revision contract.

However, during the AESA radar development process, 9 amendment contracts were made, and especially during the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th amendment contracts, the project cost increased by 44.7 billion won. The cost of the AESA radar development has soared 26.5% from KRW 167.8 billion to KRW 234.3 billion. In December of last year, a new contract worth KRW 51.9 billion was added, and the project cost was KRW 266.5 billion. Overall, operating expenses increased 57.2% over the plan.

Radar development expert B pointed out that it was "nothing to do" with 9 amendments and 1 new contract. "This can't happen without problems in performance, technology and money during development," he said.

The Defense Science Research Institute's own audit report also questioned the 5th revision contract to increase the contract flight test support, which was the largest of the 9 revision contracts, which amounted to 36.3 billion won. The audit report indicated that "the flight test (with the budget increased by amendment contracts) was not specified in the development plan," and "it is necessary to review the appropriateness of the cost sharing (according to the amendment contracts)."

The team at the Agency for Defense Development insisted that it was "a flight test that was originally scheduled to increase business costs," but the Defense Research Institute's audit office dismissed it as "not in the original plan." If the project was planned from the beginning as the team insisted, it should have been set at the contract stage, but it wasn't, and it was judged by the Agency for Defense Development that there was no such initial plan.

● In the internal whistleblowing, the

3rd and 5th report of the personnel dissatisfaction are related to the whistleblower related to the development of the terrain tracking mode and the defense science research center's response. The Defense Science Research Institute decided in November last year to add a feature called KF-X's terrain tracking mode for automatic low-flying to the AESA radar and leave it to Hanwha Systems.

However, the chief researcher of the AESA Radar System Development Team 2 of the Defense Science Research Institute objected. In 2016, when Hanwha Systems was selected as an AESA radar developer, the terrain avoidance mode proposed and the new terrain tracking mode to be developed are technically the same. As Hanwha Systems proposed to develop within the existing project cost, it was argued that additional budget input into similar technologies would be wasteful.

The head of the Development 2 team, who is directly related, also shared the same opinion as the chief researcher. The best experts said it was worth considering, but the AESA radar system manager at the Defense Science Research Institute conducted a greeting to senior researchers on December 2 last year to rule out the job. Subsequently, a new contract for a terrain tracking mode worth KRW 51.9 billion was signed, and the head of the Development Team 3 was threatened by replacement and removal from the system leader during the overall meeting of the group in January.

However, the Defense Research Institute's Audit Office considered that the terrain tracking mode and the terrain avoidance mode were similar from the technical point of view, as the senior researchers and team leader claimed. According to the audit report, the Leonardo's manual in Europe says, "Technical core concepts are the same or similar." "The two modes are similar when scanning the terrain in the vertical direction as well as in the vertical direction." The conclusion is that there are differences in terms of system performance, but they are technically the same.

According to the audit report, the issue of the senior researcher and the 2nd development team leader was reasonable. The Defense Research Institute's Audit Office determined that the behavior of the system leader, the two men's supervisors, was at odds with harassment in the workplace, that is, sudden behavior. However, the chief researcher is still out of work.

● Self-audit denied Defense Science Research Institute When

these audit reports were reported on SBS 8 news on the 20th, the Defense Science Research Institute issued an admission that most of the Defense Research Institute audit reports were incorrect at about 1 am the next morning. It's a bizarre thing to deny self appreciation.

The Defense Science Research Center's admission data stated that "the project cost increased due to amendment contracts, but it was not a business preference because it increased within the total project cost secured." "The proposed technology was only under-calculation of Hanwha Systems." The system is still being developed. " He also said that it was true that the senior researcher was excluded from the job, but it was not a disadvantage in personnel affairs.

If you open the defense science research center's admission materials, you will also have questions. Although the project cost has increased by nearly 100 billion won, it can be resolved within the total project cost already secured. If this is not a problem, the Defense Science Research Institute says it will make an AESA radar and the budget is excessive.

The AESA radar development project contract signed by the Defense Science Research Institute and Hanwha Systems is KRW 167.8 billion. As a result of the head-to-head consultation between the Defense Science Research Institute and Hanwha Systems, it was agreed that it could be developed for KRW 167.8 billion. However, the Defense Science Research Institute has secured KRW 366.6 billion in total project cost for AESA development from the government.

The amount of contract signed with Hanwha Systems is 168.7 billion won, but the total cost of the project is 370.6 billion won. It is difficult to find a business that can spend money like this in Korea in the 21st century.

The Defense Research Institute said that the over-proposed technology was only due to the under-calculation of Hanwha Systems, but Hanwha Systems is developing AESA radars with the ability to properly calculate even the core performance of the AESA radar. The maximum tracking distance and maximum number of simultaneous targets that the Defense Science Research Institute explains as a small under-calculation of Hanwha Systems is the reason for the existence of AESA radar. Did you calculate this wrong ... .

The Defense Sciences Research Institute also claimed that the job exclusion measures for senior researchers were not a disadvantage to human resources. If I removed the researcher's desk, but if it is not a disadvantage in personnel, is it in the personnel situation?

Bizarrely, the Defense Science Research Institute has denied the audit report from the Defense Science Research Center's audit office. The audit report also obtained legal status through the head of the Defense Science Research Institute. Even though there is only one director of the Defense Science Research Institute, it is like this.

The Defense Science Research Institute and Hanwha Systems' AESA radar development project is also unusual compared to other projects, and the defense science research center is also very strange. I hope that it is not a precursor to the overall difficulties.