FA-50s committed to better defense of peninsula
Air Force Lt. Col. Cho Sang-hwanBy Kang Seung-woo FA-50, Korea’s first homegrown light attack-aircraft, was used on its first official mission late last month and Air Force Lt. Col. Cho Sang-hwan described deployment of the plane as a “watershed in the history“ of the Korean military.On Oct. 30, the Air Force held a ceremony to celebrate the airplane’s operational deployment, which was attended by President Park Geun-hye.The FA-50 is a variant of the T-50 supersonic trainer jet, manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).“The ceremony confirmed the transition from analog aircraft to digital, displaying a combination of the nation’s advanced aviation technology and top-notch pilots and maintenance crews,“ said Cho, commander of the 103rd Flight Squadron, home to the light attack aircraft.Since August 2013, 20 FA-50s have been deployed to the Air Force and 40 more are scheduled to enter service by the end of 2016.The Air Force plans to use the indigenous aircraft in place of its aging F-5 fighters.However, there are lingering doubts
Nov 12, 2014By Kang Seung-woo