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KAI KT-1 Woong-bi

2000 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History

Modern military aviation services rely on many training platforms as they move pilots from the classroom to the cockpit. General instruction leads to basic flight training, this phase is usually carried out by a trusted two-seat (instructor and student) propeller-driven aircraft. One such aircraft is the KAI KT-1 "Wong-bi", a product of local Korean industry.

The first flight was recorded in November 1991, and production (which has been ongoing since 1999) has yielded over 175 examples to date (2017). Once adopted, the KT-1 became the first fully designed and developed indigenous Korean aircraft and has since been used extensively by countries such as Indonesia, Peru, Senegal and Turkey.

The KT-1 was born in the late 1980s under the local "KTX" program, with the development contract awarded to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Computer-aided design was used to bring the KTX to life, and the result is a highly traditional, state-of-the-art base trainer in the KT-1. A total of nine prototypes of the program were subsequently delivered to the South Korean Air Force in 2000.

The service received a total of 85 KT-1 variants and 20 KA-1 variants (see below).

The KT-1 has a length of 33.7 feet, a wingspan of 34.8 feet, and a height of 12 feet. It has a curb weight of 4,200 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 7,300 pounds.

Power comes from a 950-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-62 turboprop engine that drives a four-bladed propeller unit in the nose. Performance specs include a top speed of 360 mph, a range of up to 830 miles and a service ceiling of 38,000 feet. The climb rate is 3,180 feet per minute.

By design, the KT-1 features two crew members seated side by side under a light-framed one-piece canopy (instructor at the rear). The cockpit is located behind the bow assembly that houses the engine. Wing main aircraft are straight attachments with truncated tips, mounted under the cockpit. Each principal plane has an apparent dihedron (upward angle).

The tail is conventional, with a single rudder with a low level. The tricycle landing gear is fully retractable and each leg is a single wheel.

Several notable variants were added to Woong-bi production: the KTX-1 "Yeo-myung" was used to denote the prototype, and these variants were powered by 550hp PT6A-25A series PWC turboprop engines. Then there was the production-oriented KT-1 with a PWC PT6A-62 engine making 960 hp and a slightly modified tail.

The KA-1 is designed as an advanced trainer with built-in attack capabilities, and the cockpit is equipped with a Head-Up Display (HUD) and Multi-Function Display (MFD). In addition, five additional hardpoints have been added to transport ordnance and support weapons including air-launched missiles.

The export models are KT-1B, KT-1T and KT-1P, which are shipped to Indonesia, Turkey and Peru, respectively. The KA-1P is an armed export model of the Peruvian KT-1P trainer.

The KT-1C is an upgraded export-oriented attack aircraft with FLIR, full defense kit (chaff/torch dispenser), and support for gun bays, dropping bombs, missiles, and rockets.

In today's changing battlefield environment, the value of dual-role aircraft like the KT-1 has increased, especially with the increase in insurgency around the world. They represent budget-conscious alternatives to more expensive, more tech-heavy platforms, and the base trainer market is becoming saturated, with similarly lightweight designs popping up in the US, Europe and elsewhere.

Therefore, the global presence of the Korean-made KT-1 is significant.