Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced the rollout of the first FA-50 light fighter aircraft to be exported to Poland.
The rollout ceremony took place at KAI headquarters in Sacheon on June 7, 2023.
“This is the shortest time it has taken to release a combat aircraft in 8 months since the contract signing in September 2022,” KAI said in a statement.
The aircraft will undergo flight testing in July 2023 before its delivery the following month. According to the manufacturer, the first batch of 12 FA-50s is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2023.
Poland announced the order of 48 KAI FA-50 Fighting Eagle aircraft in late July 2022, as part of a massive procurement sweep that also included hundreds of South Korean K2 main battle tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers.
The FA-50 Fighting Eagle is a lightweight multi-role fighter jet developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, based on its T-50 Golden Eagle training jet. It is capable of reaching supersonic speeds at Mach 1.5. The FA-50 is equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as rockets and guided bombs. It can also be used for reconnaissance and electronic warfare.
The FA-50 light combat aircraft shares some common features with the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter, which is also operated by the Polish Air Force.
