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| South Korean FA-50 aircraft successfully export to Poland and Malaysia |
Seoul - FA-50 looks promising in the international export market. This can be seen from how the FA 50 began to be purchased by many countries, including Poland and Malaysia.
Poland intends to acquire a variant of the FA-50 aircraft, namely the Block 20 (the same as the one offered to Malaysia). The aircraft gains an upgrade to the aircraft's ability to carry Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapon systems, such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile.
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Quoted by Defense Security Asia, Poland plans to use FA-50 aircraft obtained from South Korea for advanced training purposes and additional combat aircraft for its F-16 aircraft.
Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak gave reasons why Poland chose the South Korean-made fighter. According to him, the FA-50 aircraft was selected from several other types of fighter aircraft after receiving views from Polish Air Force pilots.
This is also due to the high degree of interoperability with its F-16 aircraft. “The FA-50 aircraft also have a high ability to be equipped with better sensor systems and more modern weapons systems.
This FA-50 aircraft can not only be used for combat, but is also an excellent training platform,” said the Polish Defense Minister about the main reason for choosing the South Korean-made aircraft. In addition, the FA-50 is also quite flexible. These aircraft will later be configured so that they can be integrated with NATO governance structures.
Apart from Poland, Malaysia is also interested in the FA-50. Quoted from The Defense Post, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is likely to choose South Korea's FA 50 Golden Eagle fighter jet over India's Tejas. This relates to the light fighter program that is still being sought.
RMAF chief General Asghar Khan Goriman Khan has expressed interest in an advanced supersonic light attack platform that is affordable and efficient over other competing aircraft. He also added that the deal is expected to continue if the current government returns to power after elections in 2023.
The RMAF wants to increase its fleet with 36 light fighters and advanced combat trainer aircraft in two to three installments. In addition to the Tejas Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the China-Pakistan JF-17, Mig-35 and Yak-130, Russia, and Hurjet Turkish Aerospace took part in the race.