From Training Aircraft to Fighter Jets: The Essence of K-Defense Industry

Successful Localization from Supersonic Aircraft T-50 to KF-21 Fighter Jet Initiated

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] At the outbreak of the Korean War, the Republic of Korea Air Force possessed only 22 aircraft, including liaison and training planes. Former President Park Chung-hee, who lamented the lack of air superiority, declared at the 1978 New Year press conference, "We will develop the capability to produce electronic weapons and aircraft." The development pace was rapid. Within two years, a domestically produced fighter jet was created?the 'Je-gong-ho' (Fighter Hawk). However, with a localization rate of only 23%, it was criticized as merely an assembly project. Forty years later, Korea's aviation technology is competitive in the global market and is considered a key product in 'K-Defense' exports to countries like Poland.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) led the domestic fighter jet production. As the Air Force's T-33 and TF-5B models aged, KAI embarked on developing the first indigenous supersonic aircraft, the T-50. The 'T' in T-50 stands for Trainer, indicating a training aircraft, and '50' commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Air Force's founding. The nickname was chosen through a contest and named Golden Eagle.

The development was challenging. In 1992, it was decided to develop the T-50 jointly with the American company General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin), but the project stalled due to the Asian financial crisis. After ten years, on August 20, 2002, the first T-50 successfully completed its maiden flight. KAI employees present at the scene reportedly shed tears of joy. The following February, the T-50 attempted supersonic flight. To achieve supersonic speed, the aircraft must generate forces 45 times stronger than a typhoon-level wind of 50 m/s. Additionally, breaking the sound barrier produces shock waves that can damage the airframe, making it a highly advanced aviation technology. The T-50 succeeded in supersonic flight, establishing itself as a bona fide supersonic trainer.

The T-50 began gaining recognition in the global export market. In 2011, 16 units of the T-50i were first exported to Indonesia. This milestone placed South Korea as the sixth country worldwide to export supersonic aircraft, following the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Sweden. In 2006, the TA-50 tactical lead-in fighter, equipped with air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, was developed based on the T-50.

Exports Continue After T-50 Development Including IndonesiaBlack Eagles Operate T-50B and FA-50 Light Attack AircraftDerived KF-21, the World’s 8th Supersonic Fighter, Successfully Developed

The successful flight of the T-50 led to various derivative aircraft. As the Air Force's special flight team, the Black Eagles, faced aging A-37 aerobatic aircraft, production of the T-50B, a modified T-50, began. The Air Force requested lights be installed on the aircraft's nose for aerobatics. However, issues such as bird strikes and shape changes arose. KAI ultimately proposed replacing the missiles mounted on the wing tips with lights, which satisfied the Air Force. Additionally, a smoke device for airshows was separately developed. At that time, KAI factory employees frequently mistook the smoke for an aircraft fire and reported it.

There is also the FA-50 light attack aircraft developed based on the T-50. Development began as the Air Force's F-5 fighters aged. The FA-50 is equipped with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided munitions such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the Smart Fixed Wing Bomb (SFW). The first FA-50 was delivered to the Air Force in 2013, followed by exports. In December of that year, the FA-50IQ was delivered to Iraq, in March 2014 to the Philippines (FA-50PH), and in September 2015 to Thailand (FA-50TH).

There is also the KF-21 'Boramae,' a domestically produced supersonic fighter that consolidates T-50 technology. On the 10th of last month, the second prototype successfully completed its first test flight. The top speed recorded was approximately 407 km/h (220 knots), similar to the initial flight of the first prototype.

With the development and flight of the KF-21, South Korea has advanced to become the eighth country in the world to develop a supersonic fighter. Until now, countries that have developed supersonic fighters include the United States, Russia, China, Japan, France, Sweden, and the European consortium (United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain). The KF-21 took flight about 22 years after former President Kim Dae-jung declared in November 2000 the goal of 'developing an advanced fighter independently,' and 20 years after the military decided in 2002 on a long-term new requirement to develop a fighter surpassing the KF-16.

Prototypes 3 through 6 will undergo ground and flight test preparations and are scheduled to enter flight testing sequentially from the end of this year through the first half of next year. A total of about 2,000 flight tests are planned to verify various flight performances and air-to-air weapon compatibility, with system development expected to conclude in 2026. Upon successful final development, the Air Force plans to deploy an initial batch of 40 aircraft between 2026 and 2028, followed by an additional 80 units by 2032, totaling 120 aircraft.

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