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Joint efforts of civilians, the government and the military to develop aircraft led to the success
Marketing activity under way to further export T-50s to the U.S.A, Iraq, Chile and the Philippines
On September 7, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (hereinafter called "KAI") held a ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its T-50 first flight in its headquarters in Sacheon.
The event was attended by about 150 figures including senior government officials including Kim Yeon-hwan, General Manager of Aircraft Business Department of Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Yoon Hong-gi, Commander of Air Force's Military Drill Airfield No.3, and former airplane development team members and KAI officials. In the event, the attendants looked back on the developments of the domestic aerospace industry for the past 10 years and discussed about the direction of the industry's future development.
"The myth of T-50 success could be achieved because the civilians, the government and the military involving the Agency for Defense Development, Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, and domestic and overseas developers have made joint efforts to develop the aircraft on the back of Air Force Aircraft Program Office's outstanding leadership," said CEO of KAI, Kim Hong-gyung. "All executives and staff of KAI employees are making their best efforts to complete a mission of the development of the Korean aerospace industry at their positions."
High-performance trainer, the T-50 is the first supersonic aircraft manufactured by Korea's home-grown technology with a top speed of mach 1.5. For now, the T-50 is the only trainer that is able to make a supersonic flight.
The T-50, complete with digital flight control and the state-of-the-art combat equipment is assessed as the optimal aircraft model for the high-tech next-generation fighter training. Equipped with a variety of weapons, the T-50 can be used as an light air raider, allowing for flexible operation. On top of this, the aircraft with a reinforced radar and combat ability can be used as a full-swing fighter like F-16. Up until now, the T-50 has an accident-free flying record with more than 50,000 hours, validating its safety.
In May, last year, the KAI successively concluded a contract with Indonesia for exporting T-50 and going forward, is doing marketing activities to export those aircrafts to the U.S.A., Iraq, Chile and the Philippines.