Poland signs deal to buy 48 FA-50 combat aircraft from South Korea
Asia-Pacific, Europe, News September 18, 2022 1 Comment on Poland signs deal to buy 48 FA-50 combat aircraft from South KoreaPoland has finalized a defense deal worth $3 billion with South Korea to purchase FA-50 light combat aircraft.
Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has signed two contracts to buy 48 FA-50 light attack aircraft from South Korea. The first 12 jets are expected to be delivered next year and a further 36 aircraft in the years 2025 to 2028. The two contracts were signed at Mińsk Mazowiecki airbase near Warsaw on September 16.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said, “the implementation of the program to introduce the FA-50 aircraft to the Polish military will allow us to fully resign from using the [Soviet-designed] MiG-29 and Su-22 aircraft”.
South Korea’s sole aircraft maker Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) inked the executive contract with Warsaw’s Armament Agency as a follow-up to the framework contract signed in July to supply the fighters to the European country, according to the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
The FA-50 is a light combat aircraft manufactured by KAI for the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). It is a light combat version of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft. The FA-50 is the first fighter-class military aircraft to be certified by Korean Military Aircraft Airworthiness Committee (MAAC).
FA-50 specifications
- Maximum Speed: Mach 1.5 (1,837.5km/h)
- Maximum Take-off Weight: 26,929 lbs
- Engine Power: 17,700-pound-thrust General Electric F404 engine
- Weapons: 20mm Three-Barreled Gun, AIM-9 air-to-air missile, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM)
- Passengers: 2
The FA-50 aircraft contract is part of a $13.7 billion (65-billion zloty) arms deal the two countries reached earlier this year. Last month, Warsaw purchased a massive quantity of South Korean military equipment, including 1,000 K2 tanks and 600 K9 self-propelled howitzers from South Korea.
The FA-50s would replace Poland’s fleet of MiG-29 aircraft, technology dating back to the Soviet era. “Old aircraft will be replaced by modern FA-50 aircraft – this will be a generational leap. The FA-50 is of the same generation as the F-16, which will significantly strengthen the Polish Air Force,” Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said at a press conference held in Minsk-Mazowiecki.
The contracts of both 12 FA-50 aircraft and 36 FA-50PL aircraft include “logistics and training packages. The next stages of the projects will be related to combat assets and technology transfer (B2B)” a spokesperson for the Armament Agency of the Polish ministry, Lt. Col. Krzysztof Płatek, wrote on Twitter.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed Poland to expand its military potential as the country decided to increase its defense spending to 3% from 2% of GDP starting from 2023.
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[…] month, Poland also finalized the $3 billion deal with South Korea to purchase FA-50 light combat aircraft. The FA-50 aircraft contract is part of a comprehensive $13.7 billion (65-billion zloty) arms deal […]