The modernizing of the South Korean Navy would take another large step forward if they decide to purchase F-35B’s to stock their new aircraft carrier with:

South Korea is looking at introducing the U.S. Lockheed Martin-built F-35B fighter variant, to fly from its 14,000-ton Dokdo large-deck landing ship, along with the F-35A air force version, as part of mid- and long-term force improvement plans, a source here said Sunday.

The move comes as the country’s arms procurement agency, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), is preparing to open the third-phase F-X fighter acquisition program in the coming years, he said. DAPA said earlier that it would launch the next-phase F-X bid by 2011, with the aim of deploying the planes between 2014 and 2019.

In a related event, a group of Pentagon officials gave a briefing on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program to DAPA officials in Seoul early last month at the request of the arms agency, said the source.

“The agency is conducting preliminary research on the next-phase fighter acquisition program and collecting information about foreign fighters, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter,” the source told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.  [Korea Times]

South Korea currently has one aircraft carrier that currently supports helicopter operations.

The acquisition of the F-35B would allow the carrier to be used to launch these hi-tech jets as well.  A second Dokdo class carrier is scheduled to be launched by 2016.  So by then Korea could feasibly have two aircraft carriers stocked with advanced F-35 jets.  That would be a pretty impressive naval capability for a country the size of Korea.