In a clear departure from the usual practice, the Korean government has chosen a European defense firm to supply aerial refueling tanker aircraft.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that the Air Force will buy four A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports from Airbus Defence and Space, the first time that the Air Force will procure a non-U.S. major weapons system. Boeing’s KC-46A and Israeli firm IAI’s KC-767 MMTT were the other contenders in the bid for the 1.5 trillion won program.

Until now, the U.S. has been the sole supplier of major weapons systems for the Air Force, starting with the F-86 jetfighters acquired in the 1950s. Dependence on U.S. weapons persisted, the argument for procuring from the U.S. boiling down to interoperability with the U.S. weapons systems. Even when non-U.S. weapons systems with similar capabilities cost less, the Korean government inevitably chose U.S. defense firms because U.S. weapons would guarantee interoperability, a requirement seen as essential in the Korea-U.S. military alliance.

The virtual monopoly that U.S. defense firms enjoyed in supplying the Korean Air Force led to the firms’ complacency, and it was about time that the Korean government sought alternatives rather than resorting automatically to U.S. weapons systems.

Given that the A330 MRTT is already deployed in Australia, Britain, the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia and Singapore while Boeing’s KC-46A has yet to be built, perhaps the argument for the A330 was an easy one. In announcing the winner, the DAPA said that the Airbus’ A330 MRTT received high scores in its price and performance as well as the amount of cargo and the number of people it can carry. A multipurpose plane based on the civilian A330 platform, the A330 MRTT can simultaneously perform roles as an aerial refueling tanker, passenger and freight transport and medical evacuation.

Deploying midair refueling tanker aircraft means that the Air Forces’ jetfighters can stay airborne for longer periods of time. At the moment, an F-15K taking off from Daegu can only stay in the air over the Dokdo Islets for a maximum of 30 minutes. With mid-air refueling, the jetfighter can stay engaged for some 90 minutes, greatly boosting operations capability.

Needless to say, the ongoing probe into military procurement bribery scandals also played a role in the bid for the aerial refueling tanker aircraft procurement program. Former high-ranking military officials have been arrested for taking bribes and a heavyweight arms dealer is currently being tried in connection with bribing military officials to obtain insider information on procurement projects. Another well-known arms dealer is being investigated on yet more bribery allegations. The first major procurement project since the bribery probe was launched, the aerial refueling tanker aircraft procurement program attracted great attention and close scrutiny. No defense firms would have dared to attempt to lobby for their bids in such conditions.

Once a taboo has been broken, it is usually broken for good. The purchase of four aerial refueling tanker aircrafts from a non-U.S. defense firm signals the opening of a new era in military procurement. It has sent a clear signal that U.S. firms will no longer enjoy a virtual monopoly in Korea. This will make future weapons systems procurement biddings more open, transparent and competitive. The Korean military will be the ultimate winner.