2024-07-27 06:49:03
South Korean defense company Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) aims to establish itself in the world market of light combat aircraft with a new modification of the FA-50 fighters, which has already had its export success, reports Scramble.
According to experts, in the future the air force may indeed be dominated by Korean production, and the FA-50 in particular will become a formidable aircraft. To this end, KAI is developing an Adaptive Air Platform (AAP) that enables a combination of manned and unmanned operations. The AAP platform will perform surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare and strike missions, supporting manned aircraft, ensuring pilot and aircraft survivability and increasing operational capabilities.
In terms of cost effectiveness, the acquisition cost of the FA-50 is still significantly lower than other fourth-generation fighters, and maintenance costs are only a quarter of those of other comparable aircraft. Despite these savings, the FA-50 covers 80% of front-line fighter performance in terms of altitude and speed, making it an unbeatable value for money proposition.
With these characteristics and after the success in Poland, the Koreans are trying to win the attention of Bulgaria and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe, whose old aircraft fleet requires new additions. Therefore, the FA-50 is being promoted as the optimal choice for the Bulgarian Air Force for compelling reasons such as the need to urgently replace the old L-39, MiG-29 and Su-25 trainer aircraft. In addition, the FA-50 is capable of handling both training and combat missions, and serves as the ideal single platform to replace these aging aircraft.
According to KAI experts, the high interoperability with the F-16, with which the Bulgarian Air Force plans to operate, is a significant advantage in maximizing efficiency with a limited defense budget. The other sticking point is compliance with NATO standards. The FA-50 is designed to meet the diverse requirements of NATO member countries. The Link-16 data link enables real-time information exchange with various platforms during joint NATO operations, and the ability to work with a wide range of Western-made weaponry ensures compatibility with the alliance’s weapon systems. This compliance guarantees the smooth participation of the Bulgarian Air Force in joint operations in the Black Sea region. Because the FA-50 is a globally proven aircraft that is successfully operated by multiple nations, having a large number of aircraft in service ensures robust sustainment support and cost reduction. In addition, KAI, which is Korea’s leading aerospace company with a full range of aerospace systems development and integration capabilities, also offers cooperation with the Bulgarian aerospace industry, including technology transfer and local manufacturing capabilities.
Due to the increasing security threats worldwide and especially due to the war in Ukraine, there is a tendency to strengthen the defense capabilities. Bulgaria is replacing its aging air assets with the F-16, which is a high-end fighter. At the same time, the FA-50 is the optimal low-end multirole fighter that can perform missions alongside the F-16 and is also suitable for training F-16 pilots. One of the main characteristics of the FA-50 is that it is designed for both air training and combat based on its supersonic capabilities. Developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, the FA-50 shares significant commonalities in its cockpit layout and avionics with the F-16, facilitating a smooth transition for pilots.
In the case of the ROK Air Force, this transition has resulted in a remarkable 85% reduction in flight time to acclimate to the F-16 and significant cost savings of up to 40%. Also, reduced F-16 training time means increased F-16 operational time, increasing the Air Force’s overall operational capability, KAI experts explain.
In combat missions, the FA-50 can carry both air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions, such as AIM-9 air-to-air missiles and a variety of precision-guided air-to-ground munitions, including the AGM-65, LGB, and JDAM. Additionally, the integration of the latest electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) targeting system expands capabilities to include surveillance/reconnaissance and precision strikes on moving targets.
Currently, the FA-50 is in the process of introducing an AFAR radar and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles, improving its combat capability. According to the Korean representatives, if the Bulgarian Air Force adopts the FA-50, it would be a very reasonable choice for the future and more than a simple replacement of equipment, because the Korean aircraft will significantly improve the country’s combat capabilities and strengthen its role in NATO, in addition to significant economic benefits .