Developed by the South Korean KAI in collaboration with the US Lockheed Martin, the T-50 Golden
Eagle is one of the noatble aircraft today. There are two important successes in its story.
The first is the aircraft's own success and secondly the successful vision which is making
the South Korea an actor in the world aviation industry. As the Weapon Detective, we are
investigating the brilliant aviation adventure of this Far Eastern country and the star boy
T-50 of this adventure. Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel
before we start. Indeed, with the T-50, the South Korea has
become one of the world players in the aviation industry. Yet, you should not overlook a detail.
There is a big difference between playing in this league and being among the leaders
of this league. Even so, if your goal is to become one of
the league leaders, you must first be involved in the game. From this perspective, the T-50
became a sound entry ticket. The First Cold War was a bit warmer on the
Korean Peninsula because the Korean War ended with a truce that did not bring true peace.
Therefore, having a national defense industry was not an option but a necessity for the
South Korea. However, reaching this goal was a real challenge for a country that was colonial
for a long time and then experienced a devastating war.
Nevertheless, Koreans, one of the hard-working and disciplined nations of the Far East, managed
to perform a miracle in a short time. Of course, the support of the USA was also
important in this success. In a possible war, it was difficult to provide logistics support
from the USA to this other end of the world. For this reason, Washington had adopted the
policy of supporting industrialisation of the South Korea.
In fact, the South Korea's local aviation industry adventure is as old as the Buhwalho,
which made its first flight in 1953. As the first aircraft designed and manufactured in
this country, the it was used by the Republic of Korea Air Force until the 1960s. Only one
Buhwalho was produced, and the South Korea had not taken a new step about this area for
some time. Established in this country in 1977, Samsung
Precision started to produce sub-systems in aviation field in a short time. In 1987, the
company called Samsung Aerospace Industries established a partnership with Daewoo Heavy
Industries and Hyundai Space and Aircraft Company.
This joint company started license production of the BK 117 and Bo-105 helicopters in the
late 1980s as well as the F-16s in the 1990s. In 1999, this joint company became Korea Aerospace
Industries, shortly KAI, and gained a structure that became more independent of its founding
partners. Having become one of the leading exporters
of the world since the second half of the 1980s, the South Korea knew the global economic
game well. Seoul was aware that the way to have a strong and sustainable aviation industry
was to develop products that can be sold to foreign markets.
For this reason, KAI avoided the policy of developing a fancy and glamorous aircraft
that would compete with US and European products. Instead of competing with the overwhelmingly
powerful aviation industries of these countries, the Koreans turned to the fields they left
empty. As it will soon be seen, this was a very wise
decision. The South Korea had already been working to develop a local basic training
aircraft that would replace the T-28 Trojans and T-6 Texans since the late 1980s.
This programme, called KTX, had low risk for both development costs and technological challenge.
It was the most feasible step towards owning the national aviation industry. In addition,
this type of aircraft, which the major US and European aviation companies have not been
interested in for a long time, would have a good chance of export. The KT-1, the product
of the KTX Programme, perfectly met the demands of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Of course, the sales of the KT-1 were relatively low compared to its competitors worldwide.
Yet, this can be accepted as a success for a country that has originally produced an
aviation industry product for the first time. With the success of the KT-1, the South Korea
decided to continue same approach. Since the early 1990s, a program called KTX-2
for development of a jet advanced training aircraft was being already carried out to
replace the T-38 Talons of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
In addition, the South Korea had being planned developing a jet aircraft as the replacement
of its large numbers of A-37 and F-5s since early 1990s.
As is known, the A-37 is armed version of the T-37 training aircraft.
The F-5 was developed based on the T-38. The new jet training aircraft would be the
base model for the new combat aircraft to replace the A-37s and F-5s.
This programme had another advantage similar to the previous KTX programme.
At that time, the USA and many European countries were turning all their efforts towards new
generation combat aircraft. However, these aircraft were overpriced and over-capable.
On the other hand many countries were looking for more economical alternatives that could
replace aircraft such as A-37 and F-5. In summary, the export chance of the South
Korea's new jet plane was high. Also, the next logical step for KAI, which previously
developed a turboprop engine aircraft, was to design a relatively simple jet aircraft.
Jumping directly in the 5th generation fighter race meant pushing resources and abilities
very hard. KAI was already having a hard time for financing
of the KTX-2 Programme. For this reason, 70 percent of the financing of the development
programme was directly provided by the South Korean government. Technology transfer was
also required for the solution of some technical problems. A partnership was established with
the US Lockheed Martin to ensure the necessary technology transfer. This company also agreed
to cover 13 percent of the programme cost. The South Korea had shown the wisdom to cooperate
with the league's major players rather than making them rivals. It has also managed to
use non-national resources to own an independent national aviation industry.
Some engineers were transferred from Taiwan, who previously conducted similar programs.
In 2000, the new aircraft was formally named as the T-50 Golden Eagle. The name T-50 refers
to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Its first flight took place on August 20, 2002. After a year, the aircraft became operational.
The current operators of the aircraft are Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines, the South
Korea, and Thailand. The T-50 is 13.14 meters long and 4.94 meters
high. Its wingspan is 9.45 meters. The wing area of the aircraft is 23.69 square meters.
The empty weight of the T-50 is 6,450 kilograms and the maximum take-off weight is 13,500
kilograms. The aircraft is equipped with a 78.7 kilonewton General Electric F404-GE-102
afterburning turbofan engine. Its maximum speed is Mach 1.5. The aircraft, which has
a range of approximately 1850 kilometers with its internal fuel, can increase this distance
to 2590 kilometers with external fuel tanks. The service ceiling of the T-50 is 16,764
meters. Like many advanced jet training aircraft,
the Golden Eagle can be armed when necessary. However, the T-50 model is used without weapons.
The TA-50 and FA-50 versions of the aircraft are armed.
The TA-50 is lead-in fighter trainer and light attack model of the Golden Eagle.
The aircraft replacing the A-37s of the Republic of Korea Air Force had been originally considered
to be named as A-50. Then it was decided on the name of TA-50.
After it was seen that the performance of the US APG-67(V)4 radar, which is planned
to be integrated into the aircraft, was inadequate, the negotiations have been started with Israel
to produce a version of the EL/M-2032 radar modified according to local needs under license.
Due to the heavy progress of this agreement, which also includes technology transfer, development
of a domestic active electronically scanned array radar is on the agenda. Unlike the T-50,
the TA-50 has a 20mm three-barrel gun and the 4500-kilogram weapon capacity.
The aircraft can carry the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air and the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface
missiles as well as smart and dumb bombs. In addition, this model is equipped with radar
warning receiver and chaff-flare dispencers. The FA-50 is the model designed to replace
the F-5s of the Republic of Korea Air Force. Compared to the TA-50, the aircraft whose
wings are strengthened can thus be equipped with heavy air to surface missiles such as
the Taurus. Integration works of this missile is still ongoing. As we mentioned earlier,
there are some difficulties in producing a version of the EL/M-2032 radar modified according
to local needs under license and the South Korea is considering working on a locally
development programme on a new radar. Once the issue is resolved, the FA-50 will
have the ability to fire long-range air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and Meteor.
It is also planned to equip this model with an advanced targeting pod.
In 2014, an FA-50 conducted an AGM-65 Maverick test fire and sucessfully hit a retired ship.
The T-50B is the version used by the Black Eagles aerobatic team of the Republic of Korea
Air Force. Different from the T-50, this model is equipped with a smoke generator at the
wing tips and five cameras. The T-50I model, which was preferred by Indonesia
to replace the Hawk Mk 53 and OV-10 Broncos in 2011, also has light attack capabilities.
Equipped with radar warning receiver, this version has capabilities similar to the FA-50,
but does not have the 20mm gun. A total of 16 aircraft were delivered to the Indonesian
Air Force in 2013 and 2014. The Philippines ordered 12 FA-50s for use
in light attack and lead-in fighter trainer missions in 2012. This model is defined as
the FA-50PH. The Philippine Air Force is considering three or four of these aircrafts to be fitted
with capability for beyond visual range intercept. It is also mentioned in various international
institutions and press that Philippines plans to purchase 12 additional FA-50s.
In 2013, the Iraqi Air Force ordered 24 FA-50s. These aircraft, identified as the T-50IQ,
were delivered between 2016 and 2017. This order from Iraq is biggest export success
of the KAI to date. With the order of four aircraft in 2015, the
Royal Thai Air Force became the last member of the Golden Eagle club. This model is identified
as the T-50TH. Despite these achievements and having the
Lockheed Martin as the partner of Golden Eagle Programme, the T-50 did not win the tender
of the US Air Force. Although there are reports that the Iraqi
Air Force has used its T-50IQs in various combat missions, as the Weapon Detective,
we have not yet reached an official confirmation. However, it is known that the Philippine Air
Force has used its Golden Eagles in important conflicts. On January 26, 2017, two FA-50PHs
conducted a nighttime attack on terrorist facilities in Butig in Mindanao.
In the same year, Philippine Air Force conducted some airstrikes with these aircraft against
Maute terrorists in Marawi. An unfortunate incident took place in these air strikes.
An FA-50PH hit Philippine soldiers as a result of friendly fire.
On February 2, 2019, two FA-50PHs dropped eight 250-pound bombs on the the ISIS-linked
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters' facility. Today, the T-50 is running a tough race on
the world market with the L-15, L-159, M-346, T-7, and Yak-130.
However, only the L-15 and T-7 can compete Golden Eagle with their ability to fly at
supersonic speeds. The T-50 is also being evaluated by many countries,
such as Azerbaijan, Spain and the United Arab Emirates, in lead-in fighter trainer programs.
But more importantly, the Golden Eagle is looking for a market as a combat aircraft
in Argentina and Croatia. These countries do not need excessively capable
fighters like the F-35, Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale. In addition, they do not have
enough money for these extremely expensive aircraft.
Having a FA-50 can be a good start for a country like Brunei that does not have a combat aircraft
in its inventory. Malaysia and Vietnam, which use multi-talented
aircraft such as the Su-30, are also interested in the modest and low price FA-50s.
All these developments show us how the South Korea has the right strategy for owning the
national aviation industry and competing worldwide in this field. Please remember, when we mention
about military systems, to export to a country does not mean a single sale. The country that
bought a product from you, have could become your traditional market in a short time. In
the following years, we may witness the South Korea achieving similar success in the ongoing
KF-X new generation fighter development programme. Indonesia has already become the partner of
this program. The story of the T-50 Golden Eagle doesn't just tell us about successful
aircraft. It also shows how to become successfully a world player in the aviaition industry by
using right strategies. Thanks for watching our video. And please
don't forget to subscribe to our channel.