KAI announced on June 12 that Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin have signed a partnership agreement to sell the T-50 Golden Eagle premium jet trainer worldwide. It added that the agreement would “upgrade” an already existing strategic partnership between the two companies.
KAI also noted that the enhanced agreement will provide an opportunity to realize the vision of the government of the Republic of Korea and the Korean defense industry to export 1,000 T-50 aircraft internationally by November 2021.
The T-50 is expected to meet the needs of a variety of training aircraft, including Canada’s Future Fighter Induction Training (FFLIT) and the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy’s tactical trainer programs. The aircraft will also be used to bid for training programs in Africa, Eastern Europe and South America.
In a separate statement, Lockheed Martin noted that the T-50 is a proven aircraft that can shorten the learning curve for new pilots, allowing them to operate even on fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II. Achieve operational readiness faster.
“This is where the benefits of the proven T-50 program really come into play,” said Aimee Burnett, vice president of business development for Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Fighter Group.
“The seamless training experience of the T-50 gives student pilots an added advantage and prepares them for any combat mission in less time than in the past,” Burnett added, noting that this is a An important feature around the Air Force now is that the world needs to increase their pipeline of pilot training to fill vacancies created by the increased pace of operations or the departure of personnel.
For example, Lockheed Martin notes that the T-50 program has reduced the number of flights required for South Korean pilots to be instructed on the KF-16, a localized variant of its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter, to just nine sorties.
While the South Korean Air Force remains the aircraft’s largest user, KAI has seen steady growth in regional exports, with customers including the Indonesian, Thai and Philippine Air Forces.In anticipation of increased sales to these operators in the near future, Indonesia agreed to buy six additional T-50i Golden Eagles for its Fighter Trainer Aircraft (LIFT) program in July 2021 for $240 million
The Philippine Air Force is also reportedly interested in expanding its existing fleet of 12 F/A-50 aircraft, the T-50 light attack aircraft delivered to the Southeast Asian nation between 2015 and 2017. Its chief Lt. Gen. Anthony Canlas told state-owned PNA news agency that the F/A-50 would be “a good choice…[as it] Provides a great training opportunity for pilots to upgrade to higher performance aircraft.”
The T-50 Golden Eagle is a single-engine supersonic aircraft developed by KAI with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin, focusing on emerging international demand for affordable LIFT and light attack aircraft.
by Jr Ng
