Korea seeks to export FA-50s to Peru

FA-50

By Jun Ji-hye

The government is seeking to export Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50s to Peru, according to military sources Tuesday.

“The government has been pushing to sell 24 FA-50s to Peru,” a source said on the condition of anonymity. “We are planning to submit a proposal within the month to participate in Peru’s fighter purchase project.”

The source said selling the light attack aircraft along with programs to train pilots would be worth about $1 billion. Considering the necessary logistical support, the total amount of exports could reach $2 billion.

Lima is expected to select a fighter jet model in the second half of the year.

During the bidding process, Korea is likely to compete with Russia’s YAK-130, Italy’s M-346 and China’s L-15, the source noted.

The FA-50 is a light combat version of the T-50 supersonic trainer, co-developed by KAI and the United States aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.

First unveiled in January 2006 and the most advanced variant of the T-50 family operated by the South Korean Air Force, the FA-50 was developed as a replacement for the Air Force’s F-5E/F when the aging fighters are retired.

It can carry a weapons load of up to 4.5 tons and be armed with a wide range of weapons systems including AIM-9 sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles and AGM-65 air-to-ground tactical missiles, as well as precision-guided weapons such as the GBU-38/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and CBU-105 Sensor Fused Weapon (SFW).

Its maximum speed is Mach 1.5.

Korea exported 16 FA-50s to Indonesia in 2011 and 24 to Iraq in 2013. Its latest sale was to the Philippines last year, which bought 12.

Another source stressed that Seoul could be a favorable seller, as KAI won a $200 million deal for 20 KT-1 basic trainer aircraft from Peru in November 2012.

Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo has asked the Peruvian authorities to show “interest in South Korean companies that have been participating in the fighter project,” according to his office.

He is in Lima for a three-day visit starting Monday as part of his Latin American tour that began Friday and also took him to Columbia.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye