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By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
With expertise accrued from the licensed production of foreign weapons systems over the past decades, South Korea's defense industry is emerging as a global power with indigenous world-class products.
Defense experts say the country's defense exports are expected to quadruple to $1 billion in three or four years as South Korean-made weapons systems are gathering attention from the global market in terms of quality and price competitiveness.
Last year, the nation's defense exports reached around $250 million, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). As of June, the arms exports totaled $160 million, DAPA officials said.
``Previously, most weapons systems were imported from the United States, or co-developed with the U.S. or other foreign arms industries, putting domestic defense firms under arms export restrictions,'' Ahn Sang-nam, a spokesman for the Korea Defense Industry Association, told The Korea Times.
``But things are changing now. The Korean defense industry has begun producing advanced weapons systems from their own technology, removing such export restrictions,'' said Ahn. ``We've secured enough competitiveness in arms technology to compete with top-class arms producers in the world.
He cited recent deals with Turkey over the KT-1 Woongbi basic trainer jets and XK2 Black Panther tanks as an example of South Korea's growing power on the international weapons market.
On June 20, Turkey's defense procurement office awarded two contracts to South Korea. Under the deals, South Korea will export more than 30 KT-1s to Turkey and will provide Ankara with the necessary technology for the XK2 design and development to provide for its next-generation main battle tanks.
In the trainer deal, the KT-1 beat out Brazil's Super Tucano.
U.S. Defense News quoted Turkish officials last week as saying that the two arms deals may easily exceed $1 billion as the tank program will likely involve several follow-on contracts.
Built by the state-funded Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the basic trainer is equipped with all the systems needed to teach intricate combat maneuvers, as well as a computer-controlled flight system.
The 10.3-meter airplane can be used as light attack aircraft with rocket launchers and guns. It is equipped with turbo-prop engines boasting a 950-horesepower that can generate a maximum speed of 574 kilometers per hour,
Indonesia has purchased 12 KT-1s since 2003 and is considering buying eight more, said Lee Myung-hwan, the KAI's deputy senior manager.
Mexico and Guatemala have also shown interest in the KT-1 and its armed variant, the KO-1, Lee said.
The XK2, jointly built by ADD and 20 domestic manufacturers led by Rotem, bears an indigenous 120mm/50-caliber smoothbore gun, and is considered a peer of the U.S. M1A2 SEP and the French Leclerc tanks.
It can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour on paved roads with gun stabilization and can cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters using a snorkel.
Seoul is also making all-out efforts to sell its indigenous supersonic trainer T-50 Golden Eagle, whose sales experts say would give momentum for the country to become a global leader in arms exports.
The T-50 is competing with Italy¡?s Aermacchi M-346 and the British BAE System¡?s Hawk 128 for a trainer acquisition program from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
If selected, the UAE deal would likely be worth a whopping $1.4 billion, based on a per-unit price of $25 million for the T-50, DAPA officials said.
Lee said T-50 variants are expected to secure some 30 percent of the share of the global trainer market within 25 years from now.
The T-50 is the country's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and the world¡?s only high-performance, supersonic trainer in production today. KAI is the prime contractor for the T-50 and the U.S.¡?s Lockheed Martin is the principal subcontractor, assisting with development and international marketing.
The single-engine trainer features a variety of technological advances, including digital flight controls and a modern ground-based training system, which helps new pilots smoothly transition into advanced fighters such as the F-16 and the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
Potential consumers for T-50s include the United States, Greece and Singapore, Lee said.
Other South Korean potential arms export items are the ADD-built K21 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and Samsung Techwin¡?s K9 Thunder 155mm self-propelled howitzers.
The K21, jointly developed by Doosan Infracore, features better performances than the M2A3 with the U.S. Army and the Russian BMP-3 in terms of firepower, mobility and survivability, said Kim In-woo, head of the ADD's Mechanized Armament Systems Department.
The 25-ton IFV has a 750-horsepower turbo-diesel engine and 40mm auto cannon capable of shooting down slow-moving helicopters and aircraft. It can engage in C4I warfare using digital communication, GPS receivers and inter-vehicle digital links.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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