http://www.kois.go.kr/news/news/newsView.asp?serial_no=20071015011&part=104&SearchDay=&page=1

Korea likely to sell supersonic jets to UAE, Greece, Singapore
Date: October 15, 2007

Korea is close to clinching contracts with Singapore, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the sale of its T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jets, a senior defense industry official said Monday (Oct. 15).

"Korea is expected to sign the deals with the three nations this month or next month," said Yoon Cha-young, executive director of the Korea Aerospace Industries Association.

He said the UAE will likely procure more than 60 T-50s, while Singapore and Greece are considering buying 30 and 40 jets, respectively.

Korea developed the T-50 with its own technology and each jet is priced around $20 million.

Yoon, who also serves as co-chairman of the organization committee for the Seoul air show, added this year's event will serve as a "turning point" for the country's efforts to export its advanced weapons such as T-50, KT-1 Woongbi basic trainer plane, XK-2 tank, K-9 self-propelled howitzer, and Cheonma self-propelled surface-to-air missile.

"For more than 20 years, shipbuilding, automobiles, and information technology products have been Korea's major export items. But from now on, the defense industry will emerge as our main export field," Yoon said during a press briefing held in Seongnam, South of seoul, on the eve of the opening of the six-day air show.

He emphasized that this week's air show will be a good opportunity for Korea to market its weapons.

"We expect more than $500 million worth of export contracts during the air show," he said.

Officially named "Korea Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2007," this year's show brings together 256 defense firms from 26 countries.

"In particular, only 86 of the participants, or 30 percent, are domestic companies, with the rest coming from foreign nations," said Yoon, formerly an Air Force brigade general.

Korea has hosted the event, which is becoming Asia's largest defense fair, every two years since 1996.

To be displayed include the F-15C and F-16C fighter jets and A-10 anti-tank aircraft of the U.S., AH-64 Apache chopper, K-135 tanker, as well as South Korea's F-15K and KF-16 aircraft.

T-50s to replace the F-5S?

T-50 is a trainer for goodness sake.

There's no way it can replace the F-5 as a primary interceptor and a secondary ground-attack aircraft.

Maybe T-50 to replace the TA4-SU Advanced Jet Training (AJT) programme in France, where pilots selected for fighter conversion goes there for advanced training.

The basic trainer for RSAF just bought recently, is still too new for replacement.

Originally posted by specialOps:

T-50 is a trainer for goodness sake.

There's no way it can replace the F-5 as a primary interceptor and a secondary ground-attack aircraft.

Maybe T-50 to replace the TA4-SU Advanced Jet Training (AJT) programme in France, where pilots selected for fighter conversion goes there for advanced training.

The basic trainer for RSAF just bought recently, is still too new for replacement.

the procurement is mainly for the AJT training , TA-4SU super skyhawk replacement......usual candidates are expected: BAe Hawk, Ammerachi M-346, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle

E T-50 has a LCA version called A-50, only minor mod 2 airfame, internal M61A1, 5 hardpoints + 2 on ewingtips, APG-66 radar or similar. G-limits +8/-3

actually TA-50 is packs quite a punch for its size
the list of armaments that it can carry is quite long (US and Israel)
and it might even get a version of the APG63(v)3 AESA

Originally posted by specialOps:

T-50 is a trainer for goodness sake.

There's no way it can replace the F-5 as a primary interceptor and a secondary ground-attack aircraft.

Maybe T-50 to replace the TA4-SU Advanced Jet Training (AJT) programme in France, where pilots selected for fighter conversion goes there for advanced training.

The basic trainer for RSAF just bought recently, is still too new for replacement.

Correct.

The F-5S/T replacement would likely be a more substantial warplane in the form of the F-35 Lightning II.

But the 30 T-50s, if bought by the RSAF, would most likely be able to perform light attack duties too. It was not commonly known, but the S211 and the SF260W(retired) fleets had the ability to carry gun pods/rockets/bombs for light attack duties in times of conflict, a far cry from their usual training role during peacetime.

No doubt about that. Just that, its unlikely they will ever need to be deployed for that purpose.

Then again, it will be an extremely good "spare plane" as 90% of all RSAF pilots would know how to fly them since their basic flight school.

DATE:30/10/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
UAE air force eliminates BAE Systems' Hawk from trainer contest
By Craig Hoyle

In a surprise development ahead of November's Dubai air show, BAE Systems has confirmed that its Hawk 128 advanced jet trainer has been eliminated from a contest to equip the United Arab Emirates air force.

Already in production for the UK Royal Air Force, the Hawk 128 had been shortlisted against Alenia Aermacchi's M-346 and the Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin T-50 for the UAE requirement, which will lead to the acquisition of a new fleet of AJTs to replace its current Hawk-series aircraft.

"We have been informed that we are no longer in the competition," says BAE, which told its Military Air Solutions employees of the news on 29 October. The company sent its two Hawk 128 development aircraft to the UAE for a two-week evaluation during August.



The Hawk's rejection comes at an embarrassing time for the company, which will have a large presence at the Dubai show, with the RAF to also deploy its Red Arrows display team to participate in the event.

The UAE has also assessed the Alenia Aermacchi M-311, Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano and Pilatus PC-21 for its basic training requirements, but UK Ministry of Defence sources had recently suggested that a selection was not likely to take place until early 2008.

Read our flight test reports on the M-346 and T-50 trainers.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/10/30/219007/uae-air-force-eliminates-bae-systems-hawk-from-trainer.html

DATE:22/10/07
SOURCE:Flight International

F/A-50 light combat aircraft project still on hold
By Siva Govindasamy

Korea Aerospace Industries has delayed the submission of a proposal for its F/A-50 light combat version of KAI's T-50 advanced jet trainer by about six months, but the company remains optimistic that it will receive a development contract from the government in 2008.

KAI says that the proposal is being fine-tuned, and the company must also secure US government approval due to the T-50's use of some sensitive equipment derived from the Lockheed Martin F-16.

Three test examples of the F/A-50 are likely to be ready by the end of 2007, and the company is hoping for a development contract in 2008. If it gives the nod, the air force is likely to commit to about 60 aircraft for delivery from 2013.

Alex Jun, KAI's vice-president for marketing, says the government will take care of the F/A-50's development costs while KAI will be prime contractor. The company hopes to fly the first prototype by early 2010 and to complete development work in 2011.

The programme will sustain the company's T-50 line beyond late 2012, when the last of the air force's A-50s - an attack version of the T-50 - is delivered. KAI will also be hoping to secure export orders for the F/A-50.

Jun says that the F/A-50 is independent of the proposed KFX fighter programme, which the government is studying to develop a fifth-generation aircraft. "The F/A-50 is a light combat aircraft, while the KFX is a multi-role aircraft. The air force needs both types and we believe that the government be willing to fund both," he says.

Jun adds: "The F/A-50 is still in the long-term government requirement as a replacement for the [Northrop] F-5s. Some slight delays could be expected as it takes time to finalise the budgetary and technical issues, but we are confident that this will be sorted out soon."

Other aspects of the programme are moving ahead, with a request for proposals issued for equipment such as radar warning receivers, precision-guided bombs, countermeasures dispensers, datalinks and weapons management systems. Jun could not say which companies had responded, although he adds that the proposals are being studied and the vendors will be chosen in the coming months.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/10/22/218742/fa-50-light-combat-aircraft-project-still-on-hold.html

i hope RSAF will not buy T-50.

korean stuffs are over-rated and unreliable...

Originally posted by tankee1981:

T-50s to replace the F-5S?

I am sorry but actually i intend to say A-50 instead of T-50.

Originally posted by FG42:

i hope RSAF will not buy T-50.

korean stuffs are over-rated and unreliable...

Care to explain?

Originally posted by tankee1981:

Care to explain?

Samsung, Hyundai, Kia.... oh.. K-anime too.

Originally posted by FG42:

i hope RSAF will not buy T-50.

korean stuffs are over-rated and unreliable...

Then Singapore should not buy F-15SGs...

Korea Aerospace Industries makes the forward fuselage and wings of all new production F-15 variants.

That means the forward fuselage and wings of the F-15SGs will be made in Korea.

Besides Korea Aerospace Industries is the sole provider of Boeing AH-64 Apache fuselage.

Cheers,
Sunho

u know in this day and age there is not complex pcs of machine that is soley made in 1 country.

Originally posted by datafuser:

Then Singapore should not buy F-15SGs...

Korea Aerospace Industries makes the forward fuselage and wings of all new production F-15 variants.

That means the forward fuselage and wings of the F-15SGs will be made in Korea.

Besides Korea Aerospace Industries is the sole provider of Boeing AH-64 Apache fuselage.

Cheers,
Sunho

dun bullshit. they are license produced for the korean air force, not for the entire americans or sgp's planes.

koreans like to brag they could do this and that. their techs are far from what they claimed they were. they merely want to show off the the japs that they are capable of making "something" too.

recently korean people claims that part of chinese liaoning's changbaishan belongs to them. they even claims that paper were invented by them too. the most amusing one recently was that they claimed that they had invaded china and is on her way to make it into films, what kind of nationalism is this? hahaha....

personally, i m very skeptical of koreans stuffs.

btw, r u a korean?

Originally posted by FG42:

dun bullshit. they are license produced for the korean air force, not for the entire americans or sgp's planes.

koreans like to brag they could do this and that. their techs are far from what they claimed they were. they merely want to show off the the japs that they are capable of making "something" too.

recently korean people claims that part of chinese liaoning's changbaishan belongs to them. they even claims that paper were invented by them too. the most amusing one recently was that they claimed that they had invaded china and is on her way to make it into films, what kind of nationalism is this? hahaha....

personally, i m very skeptical of koreans stuffs.

btw, r u a korean?

datafuser is South Korean....

Originally posted by FG42:

dun bullshit. they are license produced for the korean air force, not for the entire americans or sgp's planes.

koreans like to brag they could do this and that. their techs are far from what they claimed they were. they merely want to show off the the japs that they are capable of making "something" too.

recently korean people claims that part of chinese liaoning's changbaishan belongs to them. they even claims that paper were invented by them too. the most amusing one recently was that they claimed that they had invaded china and is on her way to make it into films, what kind of nationalism is this? hahaha....

personally, i m very skeptical of koreans stuffs.

btw, r u a korean?

Mind your language.

Originally posted by FG42:

dun bullshit. they are license produced for the korean air force, not for the entire americans or sgp's planes.

That is not true.

KAI is the sole provider of the forward fuselage of all new production F-15s.

I have seen the forward fuselage of an F-15 ordered by an undisclosed air force at KAI's Sacheon plant.

BTW I am South Korean and write for Aviation Week & Space Technology and Military Review, a local magazine.

I wrote a story about Singapore's G550 CAEW for October 1st issue of the AW&ST.

Sunho

i could sense you are korean from the way you wrote. its a very typical korean style.

i m living in a place so close to korea and got in touch with many koreans here.

this is a forum and you are free to continue braging.

Originally posted by FG42:

i could sense you are korean from the way you wrote. its a very typical korean style.

i m living in a place so close to korea and got in touch with many koreans here.

this is a forum and you are free to continue braging.

Well, datafuser has stated on what basis he is speaking about.

Why don't you show your cards as well to prove that we should believe you over him?

Fair dinkum?

Originally posted by datafuser:

That is not true.

KAI is the sole provider of the forward fuselage of all new production F-15s.

I have seen the forward fuselage of an F-15 ordered by an undisclosed air force at KAI's Sacheon plant.

BTW I am South Korean and write for Aviation Week & Space Technology and Military Review, a local magazine.

I wrote a story about Singapore's G550 CAEW for October 1st issue of the AW&ST.

Sunho

since when did KAI became the SOLE provider of fuselage for all new F-15 production??

KAI's web-site just mentioned F-15K Wing & Fuselage Contract with Boeing on 23 Jul 2002. not SOLE provider for ALL NEW F-15 production.

http://www.koreaaero.com/

while its common and natural that makers dont produce all the parts by themselves and even paints for stealth works were actually procured from jpn.

the point is Boeing's official web-site mention nothing about the above SOLE provider contract at all!

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/global_strike/news/index.html

however, the following were released by boeing:

Boeing Receives First F-15K Wing and Forward Fuselage Built in South Korea

ST. LOUIS, April 20, 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] accepted the first F-15K fighter jet wing and forward fuselage made by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) at a ceremony April 18 in Sachon, South Korea.

Boeing selected KAI to produce aircraft components for 32 of the 40 Republic of Korea Air Force F-15Ks. Once completed, the wings and forward fuselages are sent to St. Louis where the new fighters complete final assembly.

"This delivery was critical because it allows our team to build the best multi-role fighters for the Republic of Korea," said Steve Winkler, Boeing F-15K program manager. "It's also historic because Korea Aerospace Industries is the first company outside of Boeing to build these F-15 components. They've done an extraordinary job."

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) selected the F-15K Strike Eagle for its Next Generation Fighter Program in 2002. Under a $3.6 billion contract, Boeing will deliver 40 aircraft to the ROKAF beginning this year through August 2008. The first F-15K completed its first flight last month.

An advanced derivative of the U.S. Air Force F-15E, the F-15K is the world's most capable long-range, multi-role fighter. It can perform air-to-ground, air-to-air, and air-to-sea missions during day or night, in virtually any weather. It can carry more than 23,000 pounds of payload, reach Mach 2.5, and incorporates the latest military technologies.

like i said, i understand korean's nature well enough and i can understand your love for your country but pls dont mixed them up and try to mislead or con us here about SOLE PROVIDER.

to me, there is nothing special about korean stuffs. if our F-15SG's wing and fuselage are to be made by them, i think RSAF must make sure that they wouldnt fall off anytime...

Originally posted by FG42:


since when did KAI became the SOLE provider of fuselage for all new F-15 production??

KAI's web-site just mentioned F-15K Wing & Fuselage Contract with Boeing on 23 Jul 2002. not SOLE provider for ALL NEW F-15 production.

http://www.koreaaero.com/

while its common and natural that makers dont produce all the parts by themselves and even paints for stealth works were actually procured from jpn.

the point is Boeing's official web-site mention nothing about the above [b]SOLE provider contract at all!

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/global_strike/news/index.html

however, the following were released by boeing:

Boeing Receives First F-15K Wing and Forward Fuselage Built in South Korea

ST. LOUIS, April 20, 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] accepted the first F-15K fighter jet wing and forward fuselage made by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) at a ceremony April 18 in Sachon, South Korea.

Boeing selected KAI to produce aircraft components for 32 of the 40 Republic of Korea Air Force F-15Ks. Once completed, the wings and forward fuselages are sent to St. Louis where the new fighters complete final assembly.

"This delivery was critical because it allows our team to build the best multi-role fighters for the Republic of Korea," said Steve Winkler, Boeing F-15K program manager. "It's also historic because Korea Aerospace Industries is the first company outside of Boeing to build these F-15 components. They've done an extraordinary job."

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) selected the F-15K Strike Eagle for its Next Generation Fighter Program in 2002. Under a $3.6 billion contract, Boeing will deliver 40 aircraft to the ROKAF beginning this year through August 2008. The first F-15K completed its first flight last month.

An advanced derivative of the U.S. Air Force F-15E, the F-15K is the world's most capable long-range, multi-role fighter. It can perform air-to-ground, air-to-air, and air-to-sea missions during day or night, in virtually any weather. It can carry more than 23,000 pounds of payload, reach Mach 2.5, and incorporates the latest military technologies.

like i said, i understand korean's nature well enough and i can understand your love for your country but pls dont mixed them up and try to mislead or con us here about SOLE PROVIDER.

to me, there is nothing special about korean stuffs. if our F-15SG's wing and fuselage are to be made by them, i think RSAF must make sure that they wouldnt fall off anytime...

[/b]

You can not and will not find on the net exactly what is written in the offset agreement signed by Boeing and KAI. Nor will they published it.

But, that is the fact and I did see an almost completed forward fuselage of an F-15 for an undisclosed Asian air force (not South Korean ). I was not allowed to take pictures, but there were two big letters painted on it. Guess what - SG!

If you don't like Korean products, that is your prerogative. However, the fact is that the forward fuselage of the F-15SGs are being made by KAI.

Interestingly, KAI also made the fuselage of the Japanese AH-64D Apaches.

Sunho

i see, then we can understand why we are getting these planes so cheap and we shouldnt be too happy or excited about it!

we all know how good korean stuffs are!