High performance at a low cost is an attractive combination for any product.
That formula has helped Korea's home-grown FA-50 fighter jet find a number of homes in the international market in recent years, and it's expected to find even more going forward.
Shin Se-min reports. Its original purpose was to serve as Korea's own light combat aircraft, but it's finding a home in the international market.
The FA-50 is the light attack variant of the the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic advanced jet trainer... operated by the South Korean Air Force.
Co-developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin,... the FA-50 is capable of combat action, with advanced radar and missile capabilities.
The FA-50 was initially designed to replace the nation's aging fighter jets,... while the T-50 supersonic trainer jets were aimed for the international market.
However, the T-50's price tag of over 22 million U.S. dollars was a bit too high for many buyers, and it didn't sell as well as anticipated.
But,... the remodeled FA-50 has filled its place.
Capable of carrying 45-hundred kilograms of weapons,... the jet is in the same class as others made in Sweden, Italy and Russia.
But Korea's FA-50 is becoming more attractive because of its high performance in relation to cost.
Korea Aerospace Industries signed a contract to deliver 12 fighter jets to the Philippines worth of 420 million U.S. dollars in March.
It follows similar deals to Iraq last year and Indonesia in 2011.
Sights have now been set on Peru, Botswana, and the United Arab Emirates,... and the U.S., which may be looking to replace its aging Air Force T-38s.
Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin signed a memorandum of understanding on expanding defense cooperation in February of last year.
Industry experts expect a deal on FA-50 exports with the U.S. Air Force some time in 2017.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.
