KAI, Lockheed Martin strengthen strategic partnership for FA-50 sales in US

Korea Aerospace Industries President Ahn Hyun-ho, right, shakes hands with Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, during a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday (local Time). Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Industries

By Kang Seung-woo

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has agreed to strategically cooperate with Lockheed Martin on marketing its advanced trainer jets in the U.S. and global markets, the Korean company said, Monday.

According to KAI, the nation's sole aircraft manufacturer signed a "teaming agreement" with the American defense firm in Texas, Thursday (local time), under which the two sides will form a steering committee focused on designing, producing and promoting an improved version of the FA-50 light attacker as well as marketing it to win U.S. military procurement projects.

The FA-50 is a variant of KAI's T-50 supersonic trainer jet, co-developed with Lockheed Martin, using some of the U.S. firm's technologies, including the avionics system and engine.

The strategic partnership comes as the global light-attacker market is rapidly growing in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the alliance between Korea and the United States has been evolving into a strategic economic and technology partnership on the occasion of U.S. President Joe Biden's trip to Seoul, last month.

Currently, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy plan to procure 280 and 220 units of advanced tactical trainers, respectively, with each program beginning in 2024 and 2025.

Regarded as being more competitive in terms of speed, capability to carry weapons and safety, KAI and Lockheed Martin will be committed to upgrading the performance and reducing the cost of the platform.

If the deals go through, the Korean company estimates that its economic effect will reach 56 trillion won ($43.5 billion), thereby emerging as the world's largest provider in the trainer jet and light-attacker markets.

"The strategic partnership will serve as momentum for exports of T-50 and its variants," KAI President Ahn Hyun-ho said after signing the agreement with Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

Along with the U.S. military programs, the two sides will also work together to export the FA-50 to other countries.

So as to promote its ongoing negotiations with countries from Central Europe and the Middle East, KAI is now working to improve its flight range and payload capacity.

More than 200 T-50s and its variants have been exported to five countries.

KAI is now building the KF-21 Boramae, the nation's first indigenous fighter jet, with a plan to deploy 40 KF-21s by 2028 and 120 by 2032.

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