S KOREA (ROK) CHOOSES THE AIRBUS A330 AS ITS AIR REFUEL TANKER OVER BOEING’S KC-46A

The Korean government has historically shown a strong bias toward American military equipment on the back of the 62-year-old bilateral alliance.
However, Seoul's selection of Europe-based Airbus Defense and Space over U.S. aerospace giant Boeing last week as the supplier of four aerial refueling tankers has raised speculation that this preference may wane. The deal is worth 1.4 trillion won ($1.24 billion).
The idea of Korea's supplier diversification in its arms procurement draws mixed responses.
"So far, Korea has mainly depended on the U.S. military equipment, but the selection of Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) may influence the future purchase of weapons," said a defense industry official, who declined to be identified.
"Until the last minute ahead of the announcement, Boeing's KC-46 was seen as a favorite thanks to the nation's history that had preferred the American equipment, and the Korea-U.S. ties actually affected many procurement programs."
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Korea selected the Airbus model for its performance in terms of how long it can stay aloft, how much oil it could refuel as well as the amount of personnel and cargo it can carry.
In addition, the product was especially favorable in the price factor, it said, adding that a descent in euro cut down the purchase price. However, how much could be saved from the exchange rate was not disclosed.
"Korea will always be a key ally of the U.S., but in certain systems, such as helicopters, they have shown a willingness to work closely with European companies, as shown by the Airbus Helicopters/KAI Surion program, as well as the new LCH/LAH program," said Greg Waldron, the Asia managing editor of Flightglobal. LCH and LAH respectively stand for light civil helicopter and light armed helicopter, respectively.

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/07/113_182245.html