By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
A U.S. Navy pilot academy has selected South Korea's T-50 supersonic trainer jet as a tool to evaluate the flying skills of its students, the Air Force said Monday.
A group of four pilots belonging to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland began test-flying T-50s Monday at a test-flight unit of the South Korean Air Force's 52nd Fighter Squadron in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, it said in a news release.
Officials said the event will help boost the country's efforts to export the state-of-the-art trainer to the United States and other countries.
The group led by Lt. Col. Roger Cordell of the U.S. Marine Corps will conduct a total of eight test-flights of the T-50 through Friday, it said. The U.S. pilots will evaluate T-50's various performances, including supersonic cruising, take-off and landing, circling and the aircraft's stability during flight, it said.
Under an exchange program, a group of South Korean pilots will have an opportunity to fly the U.S. Navy's own training aircraft next year, Air Force officials said.
``The test flight of the T-50 by U.S. test pilots means the superiority of the T-50 jet and the South Korean Air Force's advanced test-flight program have been recognized by the U.S. Navy,'' an Air Force spokesman said. ``This is also a symbolic event that brightens the future for exports of the T-50.''
The T-50 Golden Eagle is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and the world's only high-performance, supersonic trainer in production today. It was built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin of the United States.
KAI is the prime contractor for the T-50 and 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 that 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.
The aircraft has been operational with the South Korean Air Force since 2005, when mass production started. Per-unit price is about $21 million.
Earlier this year, the T-50 was included on Singapore's short list of preferred bidders, along with the M-346 of Italy, for the Southeast Asian nation's trainer jet program. Singapore wants to equip its Air Force with 12 to 16 advanced trainers under a $500 million program, according to sources.
The T-50 is also competing with the M-346 for a $1 billion acquisition by the United Arab Emirates, which wants to purchase between 35 and 40 trainers. Other potential consumers for T-50s include the United States and Greece, according to KAI officials.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
