Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is looking to capitalize on the momentum of recent success to further expand its global footprint of T-50/FA-50 Golden Eagle advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft.
The company’s latest order comes from Poland, where Warsaw has pledged to buy 48 FA-50PL light attack aircraft worth up to $3 billion, including South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem’s K2 main battle tanks and Hanwha Defense’s K9 155mm self-propelled howitzers. .
The first batch of 12 aircraft will be delivered in mid-2023, with the remaining aircraft to be delivered according to an undisclosed schedule. KAI will also establish a maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) center in Poland and an international pilot training school using the FA-50 aircraft.
In the Indo-Pacific region, KAI announced in July 2021 that it had signed a $240 million agreement with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) to provide an additional six T- 50i Golden Eagle. The company said the deal will run until October 30, 2024 and will include associated logistical support.
KAI had supplied the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) with 16 T-50i training aircraft worth about US$400 million in May 2011, and was awarded a contract in November 2018 to supply radar and machine gun systems and three KT-1Bs The deal for the Woong-Bee basic turboprop trainer was valued at approximately $89 million.
Elsewhere in the region, Thailand has reportedly purchased two more T-50TH advanced jet trainers to increase its fleet of introduced jet trainers to 14. The move is expected to see the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) phase out its Czech-built Aero Vodochody L-39ZA Albatross training fleet.
Besides Indonesia and Thailand, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is another operator of this type, having purchased 12 FA-50PH aircraft.
The T-50 Golden Eagle is a single-engine supersonic aircraft developed by KAI for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) with technical assistance from Lockheed Martin, focusing on international market demand for an affordable LIFT and light attack aircraft .
“Recently, due to the combined effect of the economic crisis and diplomatic relations, military tensions in the world are increasing, and countries are enhancing their military capabilities,” KAI told Bilingual Program Daily in a statement.
“Due to continued inflation and budget cuts, it is critical to operate a system with excellent functionality at the lowest cost,” the company added.[Our] The T-50/FA-50 is a trainer in peacetime and a fighter in times of crisis – to meet customer requirements. “
“With more than 200 T-50/FA-50s currently in operation worldwide, it is the most mature aircraft in terms of performance and reliability compared to the competition,” it explained. “The aircraft has been [regional] Countries: 16 in Indonesia since 2011, 12 in the Philippines since 2014, and 12 in Thailand since 2015. “
In early June, KAI and Lockheed Martin signed a partnership agreement to sell the T-50 Golden Eagle premium jet trainer worldwide. The agreement will “upgrade” an already existing strategic partnership between the two companies, noting that the enhanced agreement will provide an opportunity to realize the November 2021 vision between the South Korean government and the local defense industry, at least for exporting internationally. 1,000 T-50s aboard.
“First, KAI has been continuously improving the performance and multi-mission capabilities of the T-50/FA-50 to take on the increasingly diverse missions of its customers,” the company told Bilingual Program Daily“Furthermore, KAI is proposing a custom export package under a partnership agreement with Lockheed Martin and the formation of a ‘Team Korea’ with the South Korean government.”
In the end, KAI asserts that the T-50/FA-50 platform is optimized for training F-35 pilots and is therefore an ideal solution to address the growing interest in F-35 procurement in the region.
by Jr Ng
