South Korea to sign deal this month to buy 40 F-35 jets for $7 billion

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The Republic of Korea finalized its formal selection of the Pratt & Whitney-powered F-35A Lightning II aircraft for its F-X fighter acquisition program, announcing its intent to sign the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) between the U.S. and Korean governments for 40 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant jets with initial deliveries beginning in 2018.
Following a comprehensive evaluation process for its F-X program, the Republic of Korea now becomes the third Foreign Military Sales country to procure the F-35, joining Israel and Japan who selected the F-35A in 2010 and 2011, respectively.