Black Eagles Fly Over Egyptian Skies This Time

The Air Force's special flight team, the 'Black Eagles,' flew over Africa and the Pyramids for the first time, showcasing the excellence of domestically produced aircraft.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense Joint Press Corps]

[Cairo=Ministry of National Defense Joint Press Corps & Asia Economy Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] The Air Force's special flight team 'Black Eagles' showcased the excellence of domestically produced aircraft by flying over Africa and the Pyramids for the first time.

On the 3rd (local time), the Black Eagles participated in the 'Pyramid Airshow 2022' held near the Great Pyramid in Cairo, performing a joint flight with the Egyptian Air Force's special flight team 'Silver Stars.' This flight was jointly planned by the Air Force, the manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and the Egyptian Air Force, which is considering the introduction of the FA-50, a domestically produced aircraft with combat missions added to the T-50B operated by the Black Eagles, to support the export of domestic aircraft.

This is the first time a foreign air force special flight team has performed an airshow over the Pyramids, and it is also the first time the Black Eagles have flown in Africa. The area near the Pyramids, with a history of 4,500 years, has strict flight permissions, and no foreign military airshows have been held there except by the Egyptian Air Force. Egypt's selection of the Korean Air Force as the first Pyramid Airshow partner is interpreted as recognition of the excellence of Korean pilots and aircraft, as well as a desire for defense industry cooperation with Korea. The Pyramid Airshow was attended by high-ranking military and government officials, including Egyptian Air Force Commander Mohamed Abbas Hilmi Hashem, and ministers of Tourism and Antiquities, Youth and Sports, and Civil Aviation. Korea was represented by Ambassador Hong Jin-wook to Egypt and Air Force Education Command Commander (Major General) Gong Seung-bae, along with about 100 Korean residents.

The airshow began with a performance where the flags of Korea and Egypt descended from the sky. The Silver Stars flew the Chinese-made K-8E 'Karokorum' aircraft for about 11 minutes, showcasing formation flying, cross flying, inverted flying, and twist flying. Next was the Black Eagles' turn. Over the Pyramids, the Black Eagles released red and blue smoke and formed diamond and eagle formations in close proximity as if they were a single aircraft. When they embroidered the Taegeuk pattern in white smoke over the Pyramids, the audience cheered "Korea" and applauded enthusiastically.

Ambassador Hong Jin-wook said, "Egyptian government officials also said they were honored to participate in this historic scene," and added, "There was a consensus that this airshow reflects the deep trust between the two countries."

Egyptian boy Malek said, "The Silver Stars are cool, but the Black Eagles are the best," and added, "I like Korean songs and didn't know much about the country, but from today, I like Korea even more."

The Pyramid Airshow is also evaluated as a step toward establishing a key overseas hub for 'K-Defense Industry' beyond friendly cooperation between the two countries. Since the export negotiations for the K-9 self-propelled howitzer concluded earlier this year, Korea and Egypt are reportedly discussing the export and local joint production of the FA-50 through behind-the-scenes negotiations.

Egypt, a military power in Africa and the Middle East, is currently conducting a high-level trainer aircraft procurement project aiming to select a model next year and plans to sequentially replace aging aircraft. In particular, Egypt has a strong interest in securing next-generation core forces and is considered a potential export destination for the Korean-made fighter KF-21 'Boramae,' which recently succeeded in its maiden flight. The Air Force and Korea's defense industry plan to meet Egyptian military demand through exports and joint production and then pursue exports to third countries. The two countries are also exploring cooperation plans for follow-up logistics support (MRO), including maintenance, as well as production facilities.

Lee Bong-geun, head of KAI's Export Innovation Center, said, "We plan to develop an African version of the FA-50 in cooperation with Egypt and pioneer sales channels within the African region."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.