South Korea takes just 8 months to give 1st FA-50GF fighter aircraft to Poland.
South Korea performed an impressive rollout ceremony for the first FA-50GF light attack aircraft that was going to be transferred to Poland.
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The ceremony was held at the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) headquarters in Sacheon, which is around 300 km south of Seoul. The ceremony’s theme was “Firm Commitment, Secure Future.”
South Korea’s Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup, his Poland counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak, South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff General Jung Sang-hwa, and the head of the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration Eom Dong-hwan also attended the ceremony.
By the end of the year, KAI will have delivered 12 FA-50GF aircraft to Poland after completing the flight tests that are expected to last into the following month. KAI and Warsaw’s Armament Agency agreed to a “executive” contract in September 2022 to provide 48 FA-50 aircraft.
The aircraft’s codename, GF (Gap Filler), denotes its intention to replace Poland’s old fleet with this new generation of cutting-edge aircraft from South Korea.
Defence Minister Lee of South Korea expressed his happiness with the project’s successful implementation, crediting it to their company’s excellent technology and production capability, as well as the two countries’ shared trust and Poland’s tenacity.
South Korean media referred to the rollout ceremony as “remarkable” since it marked an exceptionally short period of time—only eight months—between the contract’s signing in September 2022 and the debut of a combat aircraft.
Mariusz Blaszczak, the defence minister of Poland, agreed that Poland’s efforts to improve its defence capabilities would be greatly aided by the quick rollout.
“Thanks to the speedy release of FA-50GF, Poland is now able to equip itself with more advanced military strategies and realize military modernization,” he said. “I look forward to seeing FA-50GF fly in the airspace of Poland.”
KAI will provide 36 units of the upgraded FA-50PL variant from the second half of 2025 through 2028 in addition to the 12 aircraft scheduled for delivery this year.
KAI claims that the FA-50PL has been modified with improved active electronically scanned array (AESA), air-to-surface, and air-to-air armament. It has also increased its range by aerial refuelling.
Poland will buy fighter jets from South Korea as well as K2 Black Panther tanks, K-9 self-propelled howitzers, and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.
The Polish government placed an order for 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft in January 2020, for a total contract value of about $4.6 billion. Beginning in 2024, these aircraft will start to be delivered.
Poland wants to totally phase out the use of MiG-29 and Su-22 aircraft, which is why it plans to bring the FA-50 into its armed forces. Additionally, Poland gave several of its outdated MiG-29 fighter planes to Ukraine in order to aid Kiev in its confrontation with Russia.
The FA-50PL aircraft has been deliberately created to excel in fighter training, especially for cutting-edge 5th-generation jets like the F-35. It is noted for its compatibility with Western jets, particularly the F-16.
Poland wants to make the most of the FA-50PL’s capabilities to improve its fighter training programmes and get its Air Force ready to use the F-35, which is expected to play a major role in Polish military aviation.
In the meantime, the defence ministry in Seoul reports that Lee and Blaszczak signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) after the rollout ceremony outlining their intention to form a joint ministerial committee aimed at fostering bilateral defence and arms industry cooperation.
They both agreed to establish this regular consultation group during the meetings conducted in Poland in February, and this action was performed as a result of their prior agreement.
The two ministers presided over the committee’s first formal meeting after the MoU was signed, the ministry claims. “Blaszczak’s support during this meeting so that the framework for long-term arms industry cooperation can be maintained,” Minister Lee requested.
Both parties also concurred to strengthen their defence sector cooperation, in line with the growing connections in their respective arms industries.
They talked about a variety of ways to collaborate, such as reciprocal visits between their respective military groups using comparable weapons systems. Initially, these steps were accepted at their prior discussions in February.
Source: Firstpost
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